Dark Clouds
by Mariel Nightstalker
Summary: After defeating the Dark Lord, Harry Potter is placed in the witness protection program for his own safety. As usual, things get complicated. CROSSOVER SLASH Emmett/Harry
1. Chapter 1

Dark Clouds

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or Harry Potter; the rights go to Stephanie Meyer and J. K .Rowling, respectively.

Author's Note: I have not read Harry Potter or Twilight, so any major canon changes/my general ignorance of Twilight do have viable explanations. I would like to apologize in advance if I step on any fanatic's toesies. It's not intentional; I'm just uninformed.

CHAPTER 1

Bella sighed, resting her chin on her spread palm, avoiding Mike's concerned gaze. He had been getting almost annoying in his new role as 'concerned platonic friend', but now he definitely was getting on her nerves since Edward had been gone. Should she be jealous that her boyfriend was far away from her hunting down another woman, even if that woman was the accomplice of a Vampire that had severely injured her person?

The final school announcements concluded, none of which she had been paying attention to, and she sluggishly got to her feet, stuffing her books into her bag. Mike was right behind her, already talking busily away about some kind of chain of chat rooms that had the exact same conversation at the same time. She wasn't really paying attention, and tripped over the too-long cuff of her jeans, catching herself against the door frame. Angela snickered and she plastered on a fake smile for her, surprised that she had enough energy to do so.

She hadn't been able to sleep lately, and smirked at the irony of it; now that there was no one watching her sleep, which would have unnerved most people, she could not seem to fall into anything deeper than a doze at best.

Rubbing her eyes, she kept one hand against the wall for support as she slowly meandered towards the cafeteria, Mike and Angela finally going around her and saying that they'd see her there…except Bella wasn't going to go to the cafeteria anymore. An attack of abominable nausea had suddenly rocked through her insides and she changed direction, pushing people out of the way and heading as fast as she was able to the bathroom, one hand cupped pre-emptively over her mouth.

Throwing the flimsy door to the girl's bathroom open, she collided with a freshman she didn't know, and vomited all over the girl's sneakers.

She shrieked, leaping back and cursing at her even as Bella gasped for breath, stuttering apologies between struggling to hold down the remaining contents of her stomach. Realizing that it was a losing battle, she dove for the sink and made it in time, just a little sloshing over the rim and onto her shirt.

The younger girl was now beside her, in her socks, scrubbing the vomit industrially off her shoes. Bella could hear her muttering under her breath about how she had just bought those shoes and how this was so fucking stupid-

She threw up for the third and final time, nothing but a few lone chunks and stomach liquids coming out of her burning throat. Her knuckles turned white from gripping the counter, and the girl made a disgusted noise.

"What's the matter, Swan? Accidentally eat something for once?"

Bella furrowed her eyebrows. "Are you calling me anorexic?"

She shrugged. "Whatever, Swan." Scrubbing a stubborn bit of vomit off of the sole, she dried them with a wad of paper towels and slipped them back on. "You owe me for this shit."

The door slammed behind her.

Sagging against the counter, Bella swiped a hand over her face, mussing her new fringe that she'd been peer pressured into. She not only felt like shit, she looked it. Why would anyone be attracted to her, much less someone as wonderful as Edward?

Sufficiently in control of her own body once more, she cleaned up the sink and then the floor, wrinkling her nose at the foul smell. She had missed most of lunch, and the thought of food right now was disgusting, especially government-funded food.

Adjusting the strap of her book bag on her shoulder, she slowly left the bathroom, heading for her next class, intending to sit on the floor outside the door and wait instead of braving the cafeteria. Hopefully that bratty girl from earlier wouldn't spread it around that she had thrown up, or else she would have to handle worried friends and her father's occasional bouts of protectiveness.

The halls were only partially populated by kids that had skipped lunch or finished early, talking in small groups. They looked her over briefly, and she rolled her eyes once she was out of sight. When would the novelty of being the 'new girl' wear off?

Sitting down on the floor outside the very Biology classroom she'd first met Edward in, she dug through her bag until she pulled out the book on 'Cold Ones' she'd bought last year, cracking the cover and flipping to the last chapter. She'd read it god knows how many times already, and her highlighted sections framed with penciled notes in the margins made her eyes swim.

The day was only a little over half-way over, and she couldn't wait to go home.

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"What?"

"The witness protection program, Mr. Potter."

"Yeah, I heard you. That was disbelief, love." Harry sighed, rubbing his fingertips along his temples, trying to reign in his temper. It wasn't the fault of the Auror sitting across from him that he was being placed in the goddamn witness protection program, which was apparently code for dropping him into some inconspicuous town in the middle of America.

"Alright…I am very sorry that we have to do this, but it is the only way to preserve your safety. And you are of course, unbelievably, still a minor so you are a ward of the Ministry until you turn seventeen since the decease of Albus Dumble-"

"I know, I know. Do I get a chance to at least say good-bye to my friends before you cart me off?"

"We expect you to return to this office at eight o'clock tomorrow morning, sharp. You will be assigned a pair of Aurors to protect you until then, but you are allowed to leave the Ministry and spend what time you have left here as you see fit."

"Thanks, uh…" Harry peered at the man's nameplate through his spectacles. "Kenneth."

Auror Kenneth Haycraft nodded, smiling politely. Despite the circumstances of their meeting, Harry rather liked Kenneth. Not once had he asked for his autograph or stared at him like some kind of deranged lunatic or pervert (the kind that hang around playgrounds in trench coats).

When he had dreamed of defeating Voldemort, he had had only two outcomes in mind. The first was that it would be anti-climatic and everything would go back to normal, letting him graduate from school normally and eventually settling down to become a boring middle-aged person. The second was that he would die in the attempt, and finally be reunited with his parents, Sirius, and everybody else he had lost. Maybe even Hermione too, if what they said about magical comas thrusting one half of the mind into the afterlife were true. He swallowed.

He missed the sound of her voice, and Ron had been almost like a robot since her accident, sitting by her side hour after hour for days on end. It had been two weeks, and she showed no signs of waking or slipping into the freezing embrace of death.

The Aurors flanking him, whose names he would later find out to be Howard and John, were like silent gargoyles, massive in size and not prone to talking. They effectively intimidated all of those whom he passed on his way out of the maze-like Ministry of Magic, and he was able to 'escape' without being mobbed. The 'Boy-Who-Lived' craze had grown considerably after he defeated Voldemort for the final time, and life in England was insufferable.

Maybe America wouldn't have been such a bad prospect after all if it didn't mean leaving Ron alone to grieve. At the same time, though, separating Ron from his mum, who had already lost so much, would have been unbelievably cruel.

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Checking into St. Mungo's was relatively painless and mind-numbing, the combined blindingly-white walls and smell of disinfectant making him almost dizzy. He fucking hated hospitals, and had seen enough of them in his sixteen years to last a very long and dangerous lifetime.

This was excessive, really.

Reading off the room numbers as he passed them, Harry silently gave thanks that Hermione was on the first floor, thus saving him from an awkward elevator ride with some stranger. The almost silent footsteps of the Aurors beat a rhythm against his ears and he found himself humming.

Turning red, he stopped and bit his lip. One of the Aurors chuckled softly and he turned still redder. He knew he wasn't the most impressive savior of the known world to exist, but acting like a normal teenager seemed to amuse people. He had been making a concerted effort to act more mature, and his depression helped to make him look more serious, but it still felt unnatural.

The room numbers had hit the 120s and he stopped in front of room 127, taking a deep breath before turning to the Aurors.

"Do you two mind waiting outside? You might upset my friend…" He trailed off when they nodded and mustered up a half-smile. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Hey, anything for you." The bigger grinned and winked conspiratorially, prompting a grin from Harry.

"Oh shush."

The door creaked slightly as he opened it, and Ron looked up slowly from the side of the bed facing the door, shoulders slumped and dark circles under his eyes like bruises.

"Hey Harry."

"Hi Ron. Any…any change?"

He shook his head, looking away at the floor. There was a collection of tea mugs collecting dust and breeding mold on the bedside table, and Harry circled the bed to peruse them until he found one still steaming. It was bitter, but he drank it anyway. Once again he had been unable to sleep, nightmares of killing Death Eaters keeping him awake. Their deaths had been in the name of a just cause, but his mind still screamed at him that he was a murderer- that he had no right to do what he did, that he should have waited a few seconds longer until the Aurors could arrive and put them in Azkaban, no matter how ineffective that solution would have been.

Hermione was pale and still on the bed, the only signs that she was still alive and not a corpse the soft magical buzzing coming from her life-monitor, which looked shockingly like a retro Muggle toaster. Harry sent it a distrustful look, running two fingers down Hermione's forearm and stroking her hand absently, touching Ron's fingers in the process, which were clasping hers tightly.

He didn't even flinch, blue eyes fixated on her face.

Harry sighed, and removed his hand from Hermione's slightly chilly one, wrapping both his arms tightly around Ron's shoulders and forcing his friend to accept his comfort. If Ron was left alone, he would probably waste away until he was a mere skeleton, frozen in the same position, bones wrapped around her fingers.

Ron's shoulders shook and Harry squeezed his eyes shut, increasing the pressure around him and letting his shirt get damp, letting Ron retain his pride and hide his tears.

He spent the night there, much against the wishes of the nurses who were more than irritated with Ron's refusal to leave and did not appreciate Harry joining the movement. He awoke with a crick in his neck and one of his Aurors shaking his shoulder. It was 6 o'clock, giving him barely enough time to go back to the Grimmauld place to groom and pack up his belongings.

The two-way mirror Sirius had given him, now crudely glued together and displaying a foggy and regrettably empty landscape, was slipped into its velvet bag and then carefully coated with Unbreakable charms. He had spent months working on that thing, and it had only recently started showing him any kind of image. To have it break now while traveling of all things would be unspeakably aggravating.

After a brief, efficient shower, Harry pulled on a pair of Muggle denims and a hooded sweatshirt, making sure that it was pulled down over his forehead and hiding his scar before he headed downstairs to find Howard and John sitting side by side on his least-dusty sofa.

"Alright, let's go."

If all went well, he'd be back in the United Kingdom the day he turned seventeen next year, and could go on with his life as before.

He couldn't have known how much his life was going to change.

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End chapter 1

So….what do you guys think? Oh, and this will be slash in case you didn't catch that. I'm sorry I took such a long break from writing (long by my standards) but I had an attack of writer's block and didn't know what to do with myself.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

The pots clattered against each other as she dug through them to find the 'chili pot', although she hadn't cooked chili in it in months. Finally locating it at the back, of course, she set it on the stovetop and looked in the fridge for the leftover scraps of chicken. She could make soup stock out of it, and it would give her an excuse to use up that celery….

Cooking took her mind off of Edward, so she had been making an effort to try new things lately and making more things from hand. She'd also been considering joining a study group or two in addition to all the extra credit work she was doing. Edward had gone to school countless times and was very intelligent; she didn't want him to be disappointed in her as time went by.

Chopping the carrots and celery into small pieces so they would cook faster was mindless work, and she switched on the radio, singing along softly to the pop song that came on. Half-way through she realized it was about breaking up and switched the channel hastily until she found a more upbeat track to hum to. That wasn't what she needed to be thinking about right now.

Making the soup relaxed her, and the smell of cooking food made her smile slightly as she pulled out her homework. There was a math test tomorrow and she didn't feel very prepared for it even though she had actually read through the book twice, doing the problems whenever she had a spare moment. Her new goal was to get perfect scores in as many subjects as possible, a goal that Angela found ridiculous even though she had been keeping up with it for the past month.

If she had any luck, it would intimidate Mike.

Periodically checking on the soup and stirring it, she worked through the book once again, comforted by how easy the answers came to her. She could practically feel her mind molding itself under her new rigorous study regime, shifting from a soft lump into a well-trained and oiled muscle that could aid her whenever she may need it.

Helping herself to the soup once she deemed it cooked enough, she put the pot in the fridge for her dad to heat up when he finally got back from work…whenever that might be. He had been pulling a lot of all-nighters recently and she was getting worried about him. Last week he had missed a baseball game, which wasn't something she had seen him do before; fortunately, Sam had filmed it for him.

There had been a lot of traffic through Forks lately, and a lot of the people that stopped by were obviously looking for trouble.

Just last week she'd gotten 'the eye' from some middle-aged grease ball in the supermarket.

After scrubbing the kitchen from top to bottom for lack of anything better to do, she resorted to mopping the entire house since it was only nine o'clock and she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep unless she was exhausted. Once she finished that task, an hour and a half later, she went through her scant clothing and made up a list of things that she should buy: her t-shirt supply was low, and her jeans were getting thin with age, no longer giving her the amount of coverage she preferred. Other girls could pull off the thin clothing look, but she had personally never been that confident about her own body and began to feel self-conscious if she thought she was showing too much.

A sob welled up in her throat, and even though she was alone she suppressed it. She wasn't going to cry, goddammit! She wasn't weak, and she didn't need anybody to hold her hand and 'take care of her'. She was an independent woman who fully intended to remain as such, even if her boyfriend, who she had thought loved her more than anything, abandoned her without even bothering to tell her why.

Maybe she would have been able to cope better if all signs of the Cullens were gone from her life, and she wouldn't know that walking into the hospital would reveal the name 'Dr. Carlisle Cullen' on the registry. Or worse yet, that Emmett wouldn't turn up out of nowhere when she thought she was alone in the woods. He had been lecturing her on staying out trouble and how the woods weren't safe for her to be alone in.

What was so horrible about them, she would like to know. It wasn't like there were creatures living there who wanted to drink her blood.

Not anymore, at least.

She ended up taking a long bath and spending most of the night in bed taking turns staring up at the ceiling blankly and reading a murder mystery that really wasn't all that interesting.

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"Oh my god, Bella, did you hear?"

"Hear what, Angela?" She asked dully, rubbing her eyes with one hand and stuffing her math textbook into her book bag with the other.

"There's a new student coming here."

Bella raised her eyebrows. That was a hell of a lot more interesting than most of the gossip her friends liked to talk about. "Yeah? Where from, and when?"

"Like, Monday soon and we don't know where he's from. My mom talked to Mrs. Bittinger and she said that this kid came out of nowhere with his uncle. They just moved into the old Simmons place, even though it's a complete dump."

"And when did this happen again?"

"Yesterday. They took the bus, we're guessing, to the nearest station and just walked the rest of the way since they don't have a car."

Bella snorted. "Why would someone come here without a car? Are they crazy? The rain is freezing!"

Angela sighed dramatically. "Tell me about it."

"I mean, why would someone move here out of nowhere anyway? Are they related to someone?"

She shook her head, cracking her gum. Bella winced. The sound crackled across her sensitive ears and sent a shudder down her spine. Ever since the…incident with James, she had felt like her ears were ringing faintly but hyper-sensitized at the same time.

It wasn't a pleasant sensation, and she considered it to be the real reason behind her migraines.

The thought of the new boy continued to plague her mind throughout the day. For some reason, it seemed significant.

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"So…uh, Forks?" Harry muttered, staring at the sign with something like disbelief. He had endured a long and smelly bus ride squashed between a smudged window and a obese woman with a yappy dog in its own special carrier, and then a several hour-long trudge down muddy lanes and gravel side paths in the pouring rain to finally reach his destination…which was named after cutlery.

"Is there a sister town called Spoons or something?" He asked Bertram Gould, the Unspeakable who had accompanied him as his 'uncle' and would serve as his temporary guardian while he was in hiding.

Bert snorted, grinning down at Harry. Harry was grateful that their personalities didn't clash, and the older man had already proven himself to have a sense of humor while they had waited at the bus stop side-by-side and Bert passed the time dissecting the various people walking around the metropolitan area.

Harry didn't know why they had to take the bus from a city- the Ministry could just erase the travel records if someone tried to track him.

"Not that I know of, kiddo." He reached over to ruffle his hair and Harry ducked, laughing softly.

"So where are we staying?"

"We bought a house. It's quite a dump, but I checked ahead of time to make sure the water is hooked up and the electricity works. I heard they have freezing winters here, so I added some magical insulation in the walls."

"How thoughtful of you." Harry smiled, bumping his shoulder against Bert's.

"Oh, fuck you."

"Was that an invitation?"

Bert looked at him strangely and Harry just grinned as wide as he was able, cheeks aching from the strain of stretching his skin over his jutting cheekbones. The months leading up to his defeat of Voldemort had not been easy, and tracking down Horcruxes in the middle of nowhere wasn't the best way to put on weight since most of the time Hermione and him were too nervous to eat or didn't have anything to eat in the first place. Money was scarce as well, and between their lodging bills and Hermione's new habit of smoking Muggle cigarettes. She'd let him try a few, but he had resisted the addiction as staunchly as he was able once he started liking nicotine since he knew he couldn't afford.

Maybe he could afford the habit now that he wasn't saving the world.

The town of Forks was a quiet one, but they still got a lot of funny or just overtly curious looks from those going about their daily business, mostly housewives and truckers passing through the petrol (he supposed he have to start calling it gasoline now that he was in America) station. Harry's sneakers slapped against the pavement of the sidewalk, and he took Bert's lead to avoid puddles, slipping a few times on the slick ground since the treads of his shoes were very worn down. He could probably sell them for quite a sum as souvenirs to some collector since he had worn them throughout the entirety of the 'hero's wanderings'. There was about a paper-thin layer of patchy rubber and canvas between his socks and the concrete.

Not that it mattered. His socks were soaked all the way through despite his best efforts and his toes were curling and uncurling in an effort to regain circulation. It was a fruitless effort, and he almost got depressed over this, which surprised him since rain had almost always put him in a good mood. When he was living with the Dursleys before Hogwarts, rainy days usually meant Dudley would go to the cinema with Aunt Petunia, leaving him alone to have an afternoon of peace reading his recycled books and completing the chores she'd left him with..

"Is that the house?" He asked once they reached the outskirts of the town, crossing an unused set of train tracks covered with moss to find a barely-standing old house. It had two stories and three narrow gables on the upper floor, a wrap-around porch barely clinging to the side of the house topping off the image.

It could have sufficed decently as a book cover to a Muggle ghost mystery.

"Yep. That'll be home sweet home until you hit your sweet seventeen."

"Well…it could be worse."

He encountered a stray cat with her litter of kittens camped out on the porch, using the porch as shade from the rain, and she hissed at them, curling her furry body tighter around her litter.

Harry's lips twitched when he saw the runt of the litter was like a much smaller version of Crookshanks, Hermione's shaggy lion of a cat. It stubbornly butted its furry head against the flanks of its siblings, at last fighting its way into the warmth of its mother's side.

The house itself was in fairly decent shape on the inside, aside from the rotting staircase, and Harry decided that he liked the smell of pine and moss that permeated it. "So where did you want me to sleep, Bert?"

"Wherever you want other than the master bedroom." Bert grinned. "That one is mine."

"Damn."

He cautiously tried the staircase and made it half-way up before it creaked ominously.

"Reparo!"

The wood stiffened beneath his feet, retaining its dark coloration. He nodded to Bert, who decided to follow him upstairs and repair anything else that might decide to compromise Harry's safety. The roof was leaking in several places, and mopping charms were needed to dispose of the water. Bert had sheepishly admitted that he was bad at house-cleaning charms, so Harry resolved to look them up in his 'home warming' book that Mrs. Weasley had cryptically given him for his birthday a little over 2 months ago.

Since he was going to school here, he was grateful that the school year had only started 2 weeks ago so he wouldn't have too big of a workload to catch up on. It was going to be damned awkward to show up late, though, and if what he had heard about small town gossip was even partially true, he would be putting up with a different kind of hell than the kind he had just been through.

"Are you alright?"

"Hm? Oh, yes. Sorry; I just drifted off. I'm a bit tired." He selected the room at the far end of the upper floor, which encompassed a grand total of four gables that would give him plenty of sunlight if it ever stopped raining around here.

"What do you want to do about dinner?"

Harry shrugged. "We passed a family diner that smelled good. You wanna go?"

"The one with the yellow curtains?"

He nodded.

"Sounds great. Put your galoshes back on, kid."

"Quit calling me that."

"No."

Harry stuck his tongue out. "I haven't got a pair of galoshes."

"You mean to tell me that you just own those?"

He looked down at his barely-together sneakers and shrugged. "Yeah. So?"

"We're going to have to buy you some school clothes. You look like you're homeless." Bert's eyes roved over Harry's ragged jeans and layers of sweatshirts. Everything was in shades of dark blue, gray, and black.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but its kind of obvious that I need some help." Harry shrugged helplessly. "It's not like my image means much to me. I still have my goddamn scar, don't I?"

"Well, Muggle kids are ridiculously concerned with image and you might start to care pretty soon."

Harry hummed. "Why don't we sort this out after we eat?"

"Fine…"

"If you don't want to eat, you can stay at home-"

"No, no, I think we can eat first."

Harry just laughed, zipping up his rain coat and following Bert down the stairs, almost falling down when he hit a puddle and colliding with the older man's back. Bert grabbed the banister as support, grunting when he found himself supporting Harry's weight.

"Thanks, Harry. My back needed that."

Harry snorted.

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End chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: PLEASE READ: (sorry its long)

Not signing in and sending me a review with a question in it is very aggravating for me since that impedes my ability to reply privately.

In reply to Luc: no, I will not take the notice regarding my ignorance of canon down. I don't need to 'care enough' by reading the books. I tried, I really did, to read them but have been raised in a unique environment that makes it difficult for me to appreciate pop culture. I write fan fiction for my own amusement and therefore do not put the same amount of research into it that I would do if it were a homework assignment. No one else has complained about my approach to writing so far, and I am slightly bothered by your review. If something in my story does not fit with canon, good. You want to know why? Because it means that I have completed my goal to write something original. I like to stretch the boundaries, and altering canon is the first step in that regard. If you don't like my story, don't read it.

Since there has been general confusion over how I am going to make Emmet/Harry work, I have decided a little note is in order. This story is going to develop slowly, naturally. They aren't going to leap into a relationship, and I would appreciate it if people took into consideration that canon is going to be altered slightly to permit Harry Potter to be gay and Emmett bisexual. Thanks, by the way, for all the reviews and alerts! Its nice to know that people like this story 

CHAPTER 3

The weekend was, in a word, boring, the kind of boredom that allows you to literally feel your mind rotting. Harry managed to familiarize himself with his new home, which was a nice word to be able to use, and had made himself useful helping Bert pick out things like linens, window drapes, and kitchen crockery. They ordered a refrigerator, and were getting by with cabinets under cooling charms until it arrived in the mail. A toaster was procured at the supermarket since they were both the small breakfast type perfectly content with toast slathered with marmalade and a large mug of coffee, which they also shared an addiction to.

It was Sunday night currently, and even though Harry knew tomorrow was the first day at Muggle high school he was digging into his hidden stash of fire whiskey. His head was pleasantly swimming, the walls of his bedroom seeming to sway to the beat of his radio and the steady puffs from his cigarette. One thing he had learned to appreciate while far from food and shelter was life's little comforts. The only thing that could make this better would be his friends scattered around the room talking about whatever came to mind. Neville had gone to Egypt with Bill and Fleur, who was pregnant again to no one's surprise, to research rare cacti and Luna was in the depths of Norway searching for Hippogriff breeding grounds. Ron was probably sitting beside Hermione right now, trying not to doze off lest he wake up and find a gravestone with her name on it.

Harry shuddered and took a deep drag from his cigarette, smiling when his worries slid away when he exhaled. The mind doctors at St. Mungo's had pronounced his mental state as 'tenuous' and advised him to stay away from stress and any unnecessary physical labor.

They didn't tell him why, but he could guess.

The ceiling seemed to descend on him as his eyelids grew heavier, and he sighed, stubbing out the remains of his cigarette in the tea saucer he was using as a make-shift ash tray since he didn't have the energy to dig the handmade porcelain one Ginny had given out of his trunk. Not to mention that the sight of it might make him think about her…about their break-up, her engagement, and how fucking depressing it was that he couldn't even attend her wedding since he might be attacked by the surviving factions of Death Eaters.

He took a final swallow of fire whiskey before succumbing to the deepest sleep he'd had in months.

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"He will be here any minute!" Angela squealed quietly, bouncing in place beside her car. Mike shook his head, smiling to himself at her childish behavior. The umbrella they were crowded under moved slightly and Angela elbowed him. "Watch it! I don't wanna get soaked."

"You know, there is a chance he will be totally ugly, pizza face and everything." Mike commented, sounding almost jealous.

"Oh, like you?" Bella grinned, poking the pimple on his nose that he had been trying to pop all morning.

"Shut up, Bella." He blushed despite his bravado, and Bella suddenly wishing that she hadn't touched him even if it had just been with one finger. He didn't need encouragement of any kind, considering how casual most of her peers were about 'cheating'.

She shuddered.

That was not the kind of mental image she needed right now. This was one of the reasons she was so grateful Edward couldn't read her mind, not that it mattered much anymore. He hadn't said anything about coming back, and after all, why would he want to? It was only a matter of time before he realized there was nothing special about her anyway, and she should be happy that it had happened sooner rather than later when it would have been so much harder for her to let go.

Carlisle had left Forks yesterday, finally, to join Esme and everyone else wherever they were now. He hadn't bothered to say goodbye.

"Bella? Are you okay?"

Angela was touching her shoulder, and Bella could tell she had done it quick before Mike could.

"Girl, you like you're about to cry; is it that time of the month?"

Mike looked awkward suddenly, and Bella smirked on the inside. The more uncomfortable she made him, the better. She was sick of thinking about how he would react all the time, and if reminding him that she was a fully functioning woman would do the trick, than so be it. She was more than willing to set aside her own modesty if it meant some peace of mind.

A teenaged boy she hadn't seen before came walking into the parking lot, and he stuck out for two reasons. The first was that nobody else walked to school because of the rain, and the second was that since Forks was a small town everyone was at least acquainted with everyone else.

This kid was definitely new. His baggy, and stained, rain coat was pulled way down over his eyes, concealing almost his entire face and his jeans looked like he had owned them for far longer than they had been in style. The knees were ripped quite a bit, revealing a pair of brown leggings or long underwear underneath. The whole thing was topped off with a pair of heavy duty hiking boots (they looked almost…burnt) and the oldest backpack she had ever seen. It was shaped like a lumpy sack of potatoes from the amount of books stuffed into it, and she smiled privately to herself. Hopefully this meant he was a bookworm. There weren't many in Forks, despite what you would think since it was so rainy, and he might raise the overall intelligence of the school.

He walked past them quietly, boots squelching in and out of puddles.

It was all rather anti-climatic, and she hadn't even got a look at his face.

Excuses for remaining out in the rain gone now, Angela nudged Mike into action and the three of them huddled inside, sighing with relief when the school's unreliable heating hit them like a wall. It was still technically summer, but that didn't stop it from being cold.

The first bell rang when Bella was half-way to home room, and she cursed quietly, a new habit she'd picked up from her friends, and started to run, dodging a hall monitor and getting into class just in time for the late bell to ring.

She was sneered at by the teacher, but she had learned to not let things like that get to her and moved clumsily over to her chair, sinking down with relief.

It wasn't until half-way through her history lecture that she realized that there was an unfamiliar blob in her peripheral vision. The new boy was beside her chair of all places, and his hood was pulled down again. The angle of his head gave him away, however: he was sleeping. Half the class was staring at him, horrified that he would have the nerve to do that on his first day at a new school, and Bella had to bite her lip to hold in a giggle. She hadn't giggled since she was seven, and she wasn't about to start now.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of class and the beginning of lunch hour, he only twitched. Angela, with a slightly manic look on her face, was already making her way over along with most of the class to be 'nice' and wake him up so he wouldn't get in trouble.

A brunette girl Bella vaguely recalled being named Madison got there first and gently shook his shoulder. He shot to his feet so suddenly that his chair fell backwards. Faster than her eyes could comprehend, he snapped a hand out and righted it inches from the ground. He then smoothed a hand down his sweatshirt, nodded to the crowd of people, and left.

Most of them tried to follow, but he walked hella fast.

She was the first to notice that he was walking in the wrong direction, and continued to follow him after everyone else gave up talking to him (they only got a grunt or a nod by way of acknowledgement, which was more than enough to subdue most of the kids).

When he stepped outside one of the side doors to stand under the awning, she almost followed him but then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. She had been raised well aware of the dangers of second-hand smoke, and had no desire to contract lung cancer.

The lunch room was noisy with the sounds of high schoolers munching on food and fresh gossip. No one had gotten a good look at him, but one of the guys had seen him in the bathroom and claimed he had long black hair. Bella found herself thinking about Jacob, and how she hadn't seen him in a while. She used to be self-conscious about talking to boys, but she couldn't help but feel comfortable around him, like the fact that they had played together as toddlers made them unable to feel the usual teenaged awkwardness.

Lunch was half-over when he slumped into the cafeteria, making a bee-line for the only mostly-empty table, which happened to be theirs.

"You guys mind if I sit here for a bit?" he rasped, and Bella blinked. It suddenly made sense. The strange slumping walk, the sleeping during class, and his voice. He was hungover!

He pulled off his hood when Angela immediately started chattering about how he could most certainly sit with them and oh my god how are you liking Forks.

The redness around his eyes made their bizarrely bright green color stand out more, even though they were slightly clouded. He did, in fact, have long black hair but it was nothing like Jacob's except in thickness. While Jacob's was straight and hung in neat locks down his back, the new boy's curled up in every which direction, piling over his shoulders and looking excessively unmanageable. The only part of it that could be described as neat was his fringe, which curved across his forehead in a smooth sweep of shiny black hair.

Bella found herself slightly fascinated by the sheer unruliness of it. If all else failed, you could always spot this guy in a crowd.

Angela paused to let him answer her question of what his name was, and he just looked at her before reaching into his backpack, pulling out a bottle of water, unscrewing the cap, and gulping the entire contents down in one go.

"My name's Harry Potter, I'm from England, Forks is very wet, and could you please speak a little quieter?"

"Uh…" Angela looked stunned. He had fired off his answers so fast it was still processing. "S-sure. Sorry. Do you have a headache? I have medicine-"

Several people were already 'casually' passing by their table to talk to him and introduce themselves. He just nodded to them, and only shook hands if someone practically forced him to. He was thoroughly uncomfortable-looking, and Bella almost felt sorry for him. Had she looked that cornered on her first day here?

When the crowd began to thin, Harry's icy face sending a 'back-off' message to most of them, he turned back to Angela.

"Unless it works for hangovers, keep it. Thanks for offering, though." He played with the cap to his water bottle, and an awkward silence descended.

Bella snickered.

0000000

This had to be some form of Asian torture. There was no other explanation that Harry could think of for the unique experience he was enduring at the moment. He had thought that a long, peaceful smoke would prepare him to 'face the music', but now he just wished he had stayed out there and smoked his entire pack.

Not only was there a girl who literally would not shut up, the pitch of her voice was perfectly keyed to make his ears ring. He was uncomfortably reminded of Lavender Brown, which made him think of Ron, which made him want to throw up. He was a horrible friend. Personal safety and wishes of the Ministry (which he technically couldn't defy unless he wanted to go to prison, which would _not _be a pleasant experience) aside, he should have at least protested more strongly to being placed under witness protection.

If Ron tried to kill himself when he was gone, he would plead emotional trauma to be able to remain by his best friend's side.

Ignoring the other people at the table now that he felt he had sufficiently introduced himself, he pulled a lined note book out of his bag and a pen. Clamping his teeth around the cap, he separated the two pieces of the pen and wrote the words 'Dear Ron' at the top of the sheet of paper.

He continued.

'Dear Ron,

I hope you don't miss me too much already, because then we would both we miserable. I hate Forks and wish I was with you and the rest, even if it meant fighting for my life again. Don't take this the wrong way, but I love you very much and am getting depressed just thinking about how far away we are.

How is Hermione? Has Luna or Neville written yet? They haven't sent me any notes since their last ones letting us know they were safe and sound, and I miss reading their awful handwriting (not that I can talk). Is Ginny turning into a fiery green monster of wedding-planning doom? Write me back and I want details!

Missing you,

Harry'

Angela was trying to peek over his shoulder, and he slapped his note book shut. _Nosy bitch!_

"Do you mind?" He snarled.

She squeaked and went back to her boyfriend's side.

Obviously trying to impress his friends, Mike spoke up. "Hey, don't talk to my girlfriend that way-"

"If she's your girlfriend, why are you staring at her?" He nodded his head at Bella, wincing when his brain fluids sloshed around. Drinking an entire half of a bottle of fire whiskey the day before school was a very, very bad idea.

He should write Ron and tell him about it. Ron would probably think it was cool that he showed up to school hung over on the very first day. Who knows? It might cheer him up.

When would this day ever end? And how the hell was he expected to handle this all on his own for the next near-year? He didn't think this was exactly relaxing, and…and…

That was it! He would write a letter to St. Mungo's and ask for some stress-relievers. They had given him permission to request potions as he deemed himself in need of them. It was nice to be considered an adult able to make his own decisions in one area of his complicated life.

000000000

Holding the newspaper in one hand and a small bowl of purchased cat food in the other, Bertram made his way out onto the porch where he had set up a nice lined cardboard box (the same one the toaster had come in) for the mother cat and her kittens.

She accepted the food, but waited until he pretended he wasn't paying attention to eat it.

Harry should be back at any moment, unless he had found some way to get into trouble already, and Bertram wondered what they were going to do about dinner. He might have thought that buying a whole chicken at the supermarket was a good idea, but he had no idea how to cook one.

Harry could be seen coming up the path now, cigarette in mouth and hands in his pockets.

He would have to lecture him about the dangers of smoking, not for health's sake but rather to irritate the youth. Harry wasn't the stuck-up brat he had been expecting, and he found himself wondering if this was what it would have been like if he hadn't gone into his particular line of work and remained an unmarried bachelor because of it.

"Oi, no under-age smoking! You'll scandalize the poor innocent civilians."

"Maybe you should have told me that before you let me go to school with a bloody hang over." Harry grinned, looking tired but much better than he had earlier this morning, when he could have passed for a corpse.

"I'm going to ignore your blatant display of rebellion. Did you make some nice little friends at school?"

Harry laughed, the sound unexpectedly harsh and deep-throated. They both paused a moment to look properly shocked.

For the sake of acting like an embarrassing parental figure, Bertram puffed up his chest and proudly said, "Its about time you hit puberty!"

"Shut up, you old man."

"Why you-"

Harry laughed, sounding more normal, and sprinted past him into the house. He wasn't going to be depressed when he knew that if Hermione was here she would be lecturing him about how that would just cause him to age prematurely and stunt him socially and emotionally and- and- and-….

She could go on and on when she got started.

"What's for dinner?"

Bertram took the time to look sheepish and Harry groaned. "What kind of 'uncle' are you?"

"A very bad one, I know. I am deeply ashamed of myself."

"No you aren't, prat." Harry sighed. "Lucky for you I can cook."

Bertram perked up. "Really? I never would have guessed, from looking at your scruffy, uncivilized self."

"Hey, shut up and be grateful." Harry looked slyly over his shoulder at Bertram. "Or you'll be sleeping on the cold, lonely couch tonight."

He gaped. What kind of monster had he created? Maybe it was a good thing he hadn't had children after all.

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In the outskirts of town, just within the cover of the trees, a young-looking man with copper-colored eyes leaned against the trunk of a vine-covered oak tree and stared wistfully up at the moon.

It was a lovely evening, not the sort one was meant to spend alone.

He brushed his brown hair, as he had elected to dye it, out of his eyes and began humming softly to himself to calm the heartbeat of the rabbit a mere foot away. True, if he pounced now it wouldn't be able to escape, but he had always had a complex about playing with his food before eating it.

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End chapter 3

Before you ask, the man at the end was NOT Edward. I am something of an OC-addict, and intend to take full artistic license with the plot. Hold onto your seats, folks.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: *coughs* sorry my last author's note was so bitchy-sounding.

CHAPTER 4

Harry's neck prickled. He knew what that feeling meant, and the hair began to raise on his forearms like the hackles of a cat, which was ironic on a level deeper than he wanted to acknowledge.

He was being watched.

Had the Death Eaters found him so soon? He snorted. They probably had. Considering how shitty of a job the Ministry did in everything else, it would make perfect sense that the records regarding his location leaked. Or maybe it was a pack of his fanatical admirers? That would be amusing to say the least.

His eyebrows wrinkled. No. The stare felt hostile which set his already sensitive teeth, exhausted from his grinding them last night in the throes of a nightmare, on edge. Oh, this was not good. Slouching carefully and casually farther down in his seat, he sent Mike a vaguely aggravated look when he caught him as the source of the stare.

This was not good for his nerves, goddammit. What was Mike's problem anyway? Just because Bella didn't seem to care that he sat next to her didn't mean he was putting the moves on her. It wasn't like Bella was ugly or anything, but ever since Ginny he just didn't feel attracted to people very much, like his horrible experience with her had turned him off completely to 'romance'. Depressingly enough, most kids his age were just discovering it. Thus, he was the equivalent of a dried-up fossil, the kind that work in gas stations when in their 40s and chain-smoke whether it's allowed or not.

He wanted to groan, but then his new peers would just think he was weirder than he already was. He had only been here two days and he had already overheard himself getting called 'weird', 'anti-social', and 'kinda violent' by his oh-so-lovely classmates. Not that he cared; on the whole, he preferred this to being considered the go-to person when you had problems or a secret to get off your chest. He had never understood the point of being 'popular'.

Or maybe he really was anti-social and hated his fellow humans.

0000000

Lunch was uneventful compared to yesterday, in which he had fended off some kid who had wanted to do an article about him for the school's newspaper. Since when did schools have newspapers anyway?

His pudding looked more like lard than the chocolate it claimed to be, and it jiggled when the table shifted from Angela very obviously crawling into her boyfriend's lap. Public displays of affection had always bothered him since it made him like they were showing off and he was witnessing their private lives. And it made him kind of jealous.

"So…seen any good movies lately?"

If it had been anyone else he would have snapped, but it was Bella and from what he had heard she was still considered a new girl even though she had been about a year.

"Not really. I'm not much of a movie person. What about you?"

Everyone at the table froze, and for a second he was confused. He hadn't cursed or said anything creepy so what was…oh. He hadn't actually made a real attempt at conversation since he had got here.

Bella smiled ruefully. "Nah. I joined a study group yesterday; we're working on the French Revolution and how it's a demonstration of Human Rights conflicting. Did you want to join it with me? It would let you meet people in more normal-ish settings." She shrugged when he didn't answer right away. "No pressure or anything. It's just a thought."

"Um, is it free?"

"Oh, yeah." She laughed. "Nobody wants to pay to do extra work."

"Well, since Human Rights are something I really like learning more about, I will consider joining. When does it meet?"

"Fridays, at the library, after school. We kind of discuss what to do and then work on it over the school. We then share it during the meeting, and work on the 'book' we're writing of our compiled opinions."

Harry blinked.

Someone had once told him (probably Hermione, from the sound of it) that idle hands were the devil's workshop, and that too much leisure time gave you time to over-analyze tiny problems and freak out about them. Maybe some healthy rigorous studying would be good for him…

And some exercise. Definitely some exercise.

"So can I just come with you this Friday or is there some kind of initiation process?"

The bell rang just as he was asking, but she caught the gist of it.

"You can show up. Thanks for joining! We really need new members, especially guys."

He smiled faintly. Just for a bare second, a mere glimpse like a flitting sunbeam, he had seen Hermione standing there instead of Bella. God knows that Hermione had gotten pale lately although she had never tried to straighten her hair.

He spent the rest of Wednesday feeling homesick and wrote three letters to Ron, one to Luna, and half of one to Neville that he intended to finish that night in bed before going to sleep but ended up getting buzzed instead and carving his name with a pocketknife into the headboard.

When he woke up, he had no idea why he did it, and discovered that he had sliced his hand in three places rather badly with the penknife.

Goddammit.

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Bella bit her lip, looking at her trio of outfits laid out on the bed. She hadn't been the sort of person to give a damn about what she looked like in public, but now that she was getting older she decided that now was a good time to start giving a little more thought about what she looked like.

The sweater she had been wearing almost every week for months now was getting frayed around the cuffs and a button was missing. She reluctantly shifted it into her dresser, where she kept her more 'casual' clothes, which was just her fancy way of saying work clothes.

So far, on this boring and predictably rainy afternoon, she had eliminated two shredding t-shirts and a pair of jeans that were getting too loose on her. She had lost some weight, which now put her into the 'underweight' category for her height according to the government-sanctioned health charts.

She really didn't care, but she supposed that she should either eat more or wear more clothes to hide it from her dad. He might be working late nights, but she knew he liked to check on her when she was 'sleeping' like he did when she was a really little girl, and if he started noticing how awful she was starting to look he might get worried.

She would have to buy some heavier concealer at the supermarket tomorrow when she went.

An old jacket was eliminated as well, and she folded the rejects neatly into a paper bag that she would take with her this weekend when she drove to La Push. They had Goodwill there, and she had always had a weakness for charity.

And Jacob had called her today and said it was just to say hi. Since she was in a strange mood, she had asked him to lunch.

Hopefully this wasn't classified as cheating, but knowing how possessive Edward was-

She shoved half her fist into her mouth and bit down on it to muffle the sudden frustrated scream working its way up her throat. Edward was not here. Edward had not contacted her since he had left. She did not know where he was.

Biting her lip, she mumbled to herself, "You know what, you might as well be single, in love with Edward or not." Maybe it was time to start acting the part for once instead of mooning after someone who wasn't even considerate enough to leave a good-bye note.

Resolved to stop acting like a dorky little kid, she decided to invite Harry to come with her to La Push this Saturday. He needed to get out more, she could tell just by looking at him.

Charlie knocked on her door and she looked up, smiling when he stepped shyly inside, like her room was hallowed ground. Knowing her mom, she had probably ingrained that into his mind during their honeymoon. She loved Rene, but she was a bit of a control freak when it came to space.

It was nice living with a man who didn't really care, as long as she was happy and didn't complain, which wasn't even an option in her mind.

"Hi Bells, I just wanted to let you know that Sam will be coming over tomorrow to help me sort through the garage. I know you have your study group and that you make enough food in advance for me, but would you be able to-"

"Make extra?"

He nodded.

"Sure, dad. Is it just you and Sam or is he bringing Jacob for dinner?"

"Jacob's coming."

She bit her lip, nodding distractedly to let him know that she'd take care of it.

He left as quietly as he'd come, his socked feet padding near-silently down the stairs. She smiled faintly, shaking her head and already revising her mental list of groceries. If what Charlie had told her through Sam was accurate, Jacob had gotten even taller and was right at that age during which teenaged boys started eating their combined weight and mass in food.

Maybe something with noodles would be good to try…

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Harry chewed on a curl of his ever-aggravating hair, thoughtfully weighing the beef versus the chicken. He hadn't really considered himself to be much of a meat person, and Hogwarts didn't have nutrition classes, so he hadn't known what a vital source of protein it was. And it would consequently help his energy level and make him stronger…or something like that. He fell asleep half-way through the lecture.

He should probably stop doing that, or else his grades were going to suffer. But he couldn't help it! He had first been in what he now affectionately thought of as 'freak-mode' for months and months until he finally managed to off Voldemort (by beating him to death with a metal baseball bat of all things…), and then he was forced into hospitals and told that if he didn't calm down his heart might literally burst.

Total vital organ failure, muscle tearing, etc. He didn't really recall the details, since he had gone unconscious five minutes into the Healer's lecture and they didn't notice for half an hour, which just shows you what kind of numbskulls worked in hospitals, and they were yet another reason he despised them.

Back to nutrition! Meat, specifically. He had had chicken twice this week (since Bertram was apparently quite the procrastinator and didn't go to the supermarket), and no matter how tasty it was he considered that overkill. So beef it was. He had sworn off ham completely ever since he made the mistake of looking it up on the internet on a whim and found out what kind of toxins passed through a pig's digestive system. Seriously, why eat something that ate garbage during its short, miserable life? This was also, coincidentally, the same reason he was now picky about what kind of seafood he allowed himself to eat. He had actually dug food out of garbage cans while on the run with Hermione, and intended to take full advantage of his new freedom to be a germ freak while he could. Sort of like those guys who retire, buy a grossly over-rated car, and start dating gold-digging eighteen-year-olds.

Shuddering slightly, he dumped two packages of beef into his basket and started for the front. The girl there was in his previously-mentioned Health class, and she sent him a massive smile when she saw him. He barely twitched his lips upwards.

From what he had noticed, the general attitude of the people in Forks was that if you smiled you were fair game for conversation, which was not cool with him. So to protect what Bert had affectionately started calling his 'personal bubble of exaggerated angst', he kept his face as blank as possible and his responses, if he absolutely had to respond, to monosyllables. He was sure the people here were perfectly nice and all, but he wasn't looking for new friends right now, not when two of them were far away building careers, one was in a dangerous coma (Ron had written back just before he left and said her condition was getting worse and worse and the doctors were starting to say ominous things like 'its only a matter of time' and 'we know how much she means to you, but…'), and the boy he had been closer to than a brother was slowly letting grief eat his mind alive.

That was a gross thought, but Harry considered it the most accurate way to describe Ron's current state. He had no business being so far from him right now when he needed love and the support of a stable person. Not that Harry was medically stable or even mentally so (which was fun to think about), but the point stood. Ron needed him, and if something happened to Hermione-

No. He wouldn't, couldn't think that. But still…if things did go horribly wrong, he was going to throw the hugest conniption he was physically capable of if anyone objected to him dragging Ron by the hair to Forks to be nursed by him.

He didn't realize the clerk was already done ringing him up, and he jumped, hand slipping into the pocket he kept his knife in, when she tapped his arm.

She also flinched, and then smiled shyly. He almost gagged, digging out his wallet and removing the money Bert had given him for food.

"Thanks." He muttered, when she chirped the store's slogan and slipped his change into his hand. She was probably a morning person, too.

"Harry?"

He looked up, blinking when he saw Bella, struggling with three full shopping bags, walking over to him from the opposite end of the check-out counters, a friendly smile on her face. He didn't mind her smiles, since they looked sincere when she gave them and her voice was at the right pitch to soothe his ears rather than irritate them. He realized these were ridiculous reasons to like another person, but who was he to care about what the normal reasons for this kind of thing were? He had never been allowed to be normal.

"Oh, hi Bella."

"Shopping?"

"No, stealing."

She smacked his arm, but smiled anyway. "Come on, walk me to my car."

He obediently followed her outside, holding the doors for her so she wouldn't drop her bags. She smiled sheepishly and then tripped on an uneven seam of concrete, his reflexes the only thing that ended up saving her groceries.

"You're really quick, you know. Did you play sports at your old school, in England?"

"Nope, but I did win most of those games at parties where you have to race to stack things a certain way."

A raise of the eyebrows and slight sarcastic curling of the lips gave away her next comment before she could make it. "The kind of reflex game where the loser has to drink a shot of alcohol?

He smiled so wide he knew it had to hurt to look at it, judging from her wince. "What do you think?"

"I think it's more than likely, Mr. Hung-Over on the First Day of School."

He groaned, opening the car door for her and tucking her bag into the seat. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I hate titles of any kind. Hell, I would probably object if someone wanted to knight me."

"Oh? Is there a reason behind this or…?"

The plastic handle of his bag was digging into his palm, so he switched it to the other hand before replying. "I just…I just don't like it. I prefer just Harry."

"Harry the Just?"

"Now I _know _you're trying to irritate me!"

"Of course I am. Every girl needs a little brother figure to harass, you know, or else we don't develop properly."

He spluttered. "Little?"

"Yep. I'm taller than you, kiddo." To put the icing on the cake, she impulsively ruffled his mop of hair and laughed when he batted it away like an annoyed cat.

"Watch your back, Bella."

"Or what? Will I find a little ninja knife sticking out of it?"

He grinned slyly. "Maybe. You never know."

She found herself shivering even after they'd said their friendly goodbyes and he had yet again turned down her offer of a ride since they lived in opposite directions. There was something about Harry that gave her the same chills she got whenever she honestly thought about Edward murdering someone, and what the Cullens had done to James.

He gave off the same aura as a trained killer, and paired with his rake-thin appearance it made her feel uneasy. Why had he come so suddenly to Forks? What was here? His uncle didn't work, and from what she had heard through the gossip grapevine they didn't know anybody here.

What was really going on?

Someone was standing in the middle of the road just a few feet from her. While she was lost in thought she had stopped paying attention, and now the brakes in her old car squealed when she stomped on the brake pedal.

She barely skidded to a stop in front of him, since she could now see it was a guy. She was breathing heavily, eyes twitching from the suddenness of it all, but had the presence of mind to pull over to the shoulder before someone rammed her. He circled the car to stand by her window and she cranked the handle to roll it down, mentally cursing. Why couldn't she have the electrical kind that only needed a button to activate?

"Sorry to give you a fright, miss, but I didn't know how else to catch a ride. Would you be willing to give me a lift to La Push?"

The first thing she noticed was the sinuous smoothness of his voice, and the second was his eyes. Clear bronze, like Edward's after a good hunt.

She swallowed, and stuttered, "Uh, sorry, I'm almost to my destination. There's a train, though, that goes there. The next one is at…um…" she tore her eyes away from his to peer at her watch. "in half an hour and the station is just a five minute walk away from here straight in that direction." She indicated with her index finger.

He smiled, flashing bright teeth in perfect shiny rows not unlike a shark's. "Thank you, miss, you've been very kind. Have a nice day." He stepped away from the car, walking in the direction she'd sent him. He did not look back once, although she kept her eyes on him until he disappeared from sight.

She did not pull away from the shoulder until a half an hour had gone by, which she spent frantically thinking about everything and nothing. She could be wrong…she could be wrong…she could be wrong…

Oh god.

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End chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: not even ten chapters have gone by and I already made a horrible blunder! I got Jessica and Angela confused. The girl mentioned so far under the name of Angela is actually Jessica. She will be referred to by her real name from here on out. My deepest apologies for that.

CHAPTER 5

She almost burned the sauce she was making for tomorrow night, and barely saved it in time. Thank god it still tasted okay, and even if it hadn't they probably wouldn't even notice. She laughed, and then sobered quickly when she remembered the strange Vampire. Why was he going to La Push? And why did it just happen to be her car that he decided to stand in front of? It might have been coincidence, but that was very unlikely.

Maybe he was looking for the Cullens.

Her teeth bit through the skin of her lower lip and she blinked back tears at the sudden pain. She hadn't chewed her mouth like that since she was in junior high and before she had started wearing make-up.

The sauce bubbled, and she cautiously tasted it again. Hopefully she hadn't added too much salt-

Nope. It was great, and she let herself daydream briefly of how proud Charlie was going to be when he realized how far she had improved in her previously-decent cooking expertise. Satisfied, she turned off the heat and straightened up the living room while she waited for it to cool. Last time she had tried to put away food while it was still hot she had burned her entire right hand and had to endure Angela's concerned friend act. Well, with Angela is was never an act, but seeing her doing the same thing as Jessica always made her look twice.

She blinked slowly. Her thoughts were much jumbled tonight, and she just knew it was because of that Vampire. How was she supposed to sleep knowing that a prowler had passed through town? He might not have been the only one! She didn't know much about Vampires, but didn't they usually travel in packs?

Someone knocked on her door, and she shrieked, almost dropping her saucepan. Maybe Charlie had forgotten his keys? Who else would be snooping around at…she glanced at the clock and gaped. It was ten o'clock!

Setting the pot down and the ladle beside it, she cautiously walked down the hall to the door, peering cautiously through a slip of the curtains. An innocent green eye blinked at her, and she jumped.

It wasn't a Vampire, at least.

Opening the door, she saw Harry standing there looking slightly nervous.

"Uh…hi, Harry."

"Hey Bella. Sorry I'm here so late, but I just had this, I don't know, _urge _to see you."

"Oh." Well, this was weird. "Do you wanna come in? I'm kind of in the mood for tea and I don't want to drink it by myself."

"Sure, if I'm not intruding or anything-"

"Of course you aren't. I like alone time, but right now I could really use the company."

Not to mention that Harry always smelled good beneath the nicotine and if Vampires tried to attack her at least they'd get distracted for a moment. Realizing what she had just thought, a deep feeling of shame went through her. She was a horrible person! It wasn't like Harry didn't deserve just as much as she did!

"Are you alright?" He asked, following her into the kitchen.

"Y-yeah. Sorry, I just got lost in thought for a moment." She filled two mugs with water from the tap and stuck them in the microwave. She didn't have a kettle and this was much faster. The hum of the microwave calmed her down and her smile became more genuine. She pulled the box of assorted tea her mom had sent her on a whim out of the cabinet, coming over to show it to him.

"Anything fruity."

She laughed. "So do you want the girly peach tea or the girly apple tea?"

He stuck his tongue out. "I will have the manly strawberry I see you trying to hide."

"Damn!"

The door rattled, and then opened to reveal Charlie struggling under the weight of a large box- no doubt records from work he had brought back with him to work on in his den. He had been working on a 'cold' case lately for some friends of his for recreational reasons, which had made her laugh when he causally mentioned it.

Bella froze in the process of handing Harry his teabag when Charlie came into the room and gave Harry a decidedly hostile look. How could she have forgotten how protective he could be?

"Hi dad!" She winced. Her voice hadn't sounded that unnaturally perky in…well, since never. "This is my friend Harry, you know, the new kid in town."

Charlie nodded stiffly, setting his box beside the wall and sitting across from Harry. "I've heard a lot of gossip about you already, young man."

Harry, instead of looking intimidated, just smiled. It was the most polite thing Bella had ever seen him do, and she almost didn't notice the microwave going off.

"All of it was bad, I suppose?"

This startled a chuckle out of Charlie, which almost scared Bella into dropping the hot mugs.

"Do you want some tea too, dad?"

"No, it's alright Bells. Thank you." He looked appraisingly between the two of them. "You didn't tell me you were friends with this little smart-mouth."

"Oh…well, I just met him, really. Sorry."

Harry looked between them, dunking his teabag idly. "So you are…the Chief of Police, right?"

Charlie nodded.

"Do you prefer Mr. Swan or Chief Swan, then?"

"Just Charlie is fine."

Harry smiled that perfect polite smile again and blew on his tea.

"How are you settling into Forks so far, young man?" Charlie shifted, folded his arms, and actually smiled faintly at Harry, who was sitting Indian-style in the wood chair.

"When it's not raining-"

Bella choked on her tea.

"It's quite lovely."

"Isn't that the truth, though?" Charlie hummed. "The big question on everyone's minds about you and your uncle is what you're doing here, especially if you're not a rain person."

"Oh, don't get me wrong! I _love _rain, I just don't have a bloody car which means tromping through the freezing mud early in the morning. S'not a pleasant experience, sir."

"I…see. Why doesn't your uncle get you a ride of some kind? Cars aren't that expensive these days." He spared a smile for Bella, who nudged his shoulder. It felt nice to have a conversation like this, with just the three of them. Not to mention that Charlie was asking a lot of the questions that had been on her own mind but she had been too shy to ask.

"Because he likes to see me suffer."

Bella laughed, and then abruptly stopped when Harry didn't join in. "Seriously?"

He nodded gravely. "I think its revenge for me always running water when he's in the shower so they are freezing, but he made the first move before that by eating all of my chocolate except the caramels, which I don't even like…" he trailed off, taking a sip of his tea. "Sorry for rambling like that. It's late, and I still don't know why I had the urge to come here."

"Well, if my dad doesn't mind, you can stay until you remember why."

Taking a gulp of his tea, he tapped his index finger against the porcelain before suddenly sitting up straight. "I think I know why! I was going to ask you if you knew anything about open jobs around here. I really think I should get a job."

That was not what she was expecting, but Charlie seemed pleased and answered before she could profess her general ignorance.

"The library is hiring, and I know they take sixteen-year-olds."

"Oh, good. Do you know what the pay is? If I save up I can get a car and then Bella here won't have to put up with me dripping around her first thing in the morning."

Charlie snorted, amused. "Probably a little over minimum; if Bella shows you where it is, I'm sure they'll tell you-":

"Actually, Harry is coming with me to our study group tomorrow at the library. Maybe you can ask then?"

"That's right! Sorry, I forgot about that for a moment." He finished his tea and set the mug carefully down. "Since its really late now and I finally know why I came over, I should probably get going."

"Okay." She didn't know what else to say. She was never going to get used to Harry's quirks. Did he do this kind of thing back in England? Was this…normal there? Most likely not; Harry struck her as the type of person that mowed down stop signs for the hell of it.

"Good night to the both of you. Stay safe!" With that final cryptic comment, he pulled on his raincoat, nodded, and walked out the door.

It clicked shut, the sound loud in the sudden silence. Bella cleared the mugs, and Charlie picked up his box again. Just as she was going to head upstairs, he spoke up.

"I don't normally think its my business to have an opinion about your friends, Bella, but I like that one. He's no idiot."

"Even though he shows up in the middle of the night and has no idea why?" She asked wryly. He smirked.

"That's exactly why. Goodnight, Bella."

"Goodnight, dad."

She slept well that night, not a single thought of being attacked by the undead crossing her young, paranoid mind.

She threw up when she woke up, though. She did know why, but supposed it had something to do with the tea. Her allergy to peaches must have picked up again. And then she realized something.

How did Harry know where she lived?

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Harry hummed to himself, walking through the halls of Forks Highschool with not a trace of guilt even though he knew perfectly well that he was supposed to be in third period right now. He had a full packet of cigarettes in his pocket just begging to be smoked and one of those airplane-sized bottles of Tequila squirreled away in the secret compartment in his left boot. The right boot contained a knife.

Life was good.

Or rather, it was good, because he knew someone was following him. Pausing outside the door that would lead to the great outdoors, he pretended to adjust his trousers but instead stared shrewdly into the reflection on the glass panel of the door.

Whoever was following him was a guy with brown hair.

And it wasn't Mike.

They came closer, and then tapped his shoulder. Pretending to be surprised, he turned and smiled politely. The guy had very pale skin, dull brown hair that looked unnatural; probably dye of some kind, and bronze eyes.

Not to mention very bright teeth, which Harry eyed warily. Anyone who took that much care of their teeth was either a future dentist, and he abhorred dentists as much as he did other kinds of doctors, who enjoyed prodding him with pointy things, or some kind of perfectionist. As a confirmed fatalist, perfectionism was pointless to him.

But he wasn't going to let himself judge this guy just because he had white teeth.

"Can I help you?"

"That depends on whether or not I can bum a cigarette."

Harry smirked. "And what makes you think I'm the smoking type, love?"

"You smell like nicotine."

"Really?" Harry sniffed his sleeve, but couldn't pick up the scent. He hadn't smoked while wearing these clothes yet.

"I have a very strong nose."

"Ah. Well, I suppose you can have one. Join me?"

"Of course."

He opened the door and held it for the brunette before settling his back against the grubby bricks and digging out his shiny new packet.

"So what's your name?"

"Bysshe."

"Interesting name. is that your first or last?"

"First. Last is Ibsen. Yourself?"

"Harry Potter. Lovely to have made your acquaintance."

Bysshe smiled widely, and Harry felt a chill go through him. "Oh, we'll be great friends soon, I'm sure."

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End chapter 5

.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

They were silent, and Harry finished two cigarettes in record time, his anxiety eating up the relief provided by the nicotine. He had been feeling a little uneasy about Bysshe from the start, but now he was definitely nervous because he had noticed something odd about him. He wasn't breathing.

All the time he was smoking, his chest didn't rise or fall- there was no evidence, or sound, of him inhaling and exhaling, only the puffs of smoke exiting his mouth letting Harry know that he wasn't just going through the motions.

"So what is Harry Potter doing here, in the middle of this miserable town, hm?"

Harry looked up from the scratch on his palm that had been puzzling him. When did he cut himself, and with what?

"Did you say something?"

"I asked what you were doing here. I mean, this is kind of an unorthodox retirement location for a man of your special skills."

He squeezed his hand into a fist, crushing his own fingers in the process. He should have known it would only be a matter of time. "Are you some kind of Werewolf, then? Your eyes are amber and you say you have a strong nose-"

"They're contacts."

"What?"

"My eye color." Bysshe pointed to them, smiling. "These are just to make people look twice. After all, a Werewolf might be considered a pariah in society and even hunted by some Wizarding groups that believe in a misguided version of superiority, but most people let them live."

"Then what are you?"

He worked the knife out of his boot slowly so as not to attract attention to it, pleased when he realized he had brought the fancy solid silver one that someone had given him as a present after the mighty victory.

"I'm a leech."

"Vampire?"

"If we must categorize me, then yes. Is this going to be a problem? You didn't strike me as the 'stake first, burn later' type, frankly."

"Honestly, Bysshe, I think most people would be a little unnerved to find themselves suddenly sharing a cigarette with a Vampire in the middle of the day, and right outside a Muggle high school of all things."

Bysshe looked at him a moment, and then smiled. "I guess you're right. Sorry to have been so blunt about it."

"I'm guessing you want an autograph?"

"Technically I was supposed to cut off your head and bring it back to the underground Death Eater hide-out."

Harry paused in the middle of inhaling and started to cough. Bysshe kindly patted him on the back until the hacking coughs receded and he could breathe normally again.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not just going to play 'sitting duck' and let you kill me."

"I know that." Bysshe shrugged. "And that's why I'm not going to do it."

That was not what Harry was expecting, and his grip on his blade almost slipped. He adjusted his hold on it and moved it into plain sight, nodding to Bysshe's silent question. He was armed and not afraid to take action if he felt threatened.

"You're not as naïve as I thought."

"I didn't win purely on chance, no matter what Skeeter or anyone else in the Daily Prophet says." He stubbed his cigarette out on the concrete, flicking it into a nearby puddle. The dull thudding of the rain on the awning protecting them from the wet added a surreal feeling to the entire conversation.

Harry sighed.

"Okay, it's lovely that you're not going to kill me, and I in no way protest to that, but can I ask why?"

"You have the right to be suspicious; my motives are far from noble, as I'm sure you've guessed." Bysshe stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed his ankles, jeans pooling slightly. "You're just…"

He sighed. "You look too much like somebody else I know. The old pictures from the newspaper they showed me looked different from what I'm seeing right now."

"So, personal reasons, in a nutshell?"

Bysshe nodded, tossing his own stub into the rain. A sudden wind blew some rain into their shelter, and Harry scowled. Thanks to that, he was now half-damp, and this was a new shirt!

"You really do have bad luck."

"Fuck yes." Harry growled. "Anyway, what are you doing here if you're not going to kill me?"

"I'll just stick around so I can keep an eye on you."

"Pfft, _why? _I don't need a babysitter."

Bysshe laughed, the sound like an echo, hollow and lonely-sounding. "I'm not watching you out of some sense of duty, merely as a spectator. There was a coven of Vampires here not long ago and their scent is all over your little girl friend. Bella, I think. Not to mention the werewolves in La Push that I intend to investigate."

Harry perked up, bad mood about his wet clothes slowly receding. "Are there wizards around here too?"

"Absolutely zero."

He deflated. "Nothing at all?"

"Not a flicker. You and that 'uncle' of yours are the nearest to it within about a…couple of thousand miles."

The bell shattered the momentary stillness and Harry jumped.

"You'd best be getting to class."

Harry got up to leave, shouldered his backpack, and then stopped just as he laid his hand on the door handle. "Will I see you again?"

"You might catch a glimpse of me. I'll be around."

He bit his lip and nodded. The sounds of teenagers flooding the halls, chattering inanely about this party or what their plans were (or just complaining about everything) filtered clearly through the door. A deep sense of loathing of it all soared through. He shouldn't be in school. There were things he could be doing, better things like hunting down Death Eaters instead of hiding from them like a terrified rat- like he had done something wrong.

Anger. He was angry, and as per usual he had no idea why. His feelings had always been a bit like a stew to him; chunks of god-knows-what just floating about randomly, without any sense of order. They liked to bubble up at inopportune moments and create uncomfortable situations…

"The door never did anything to you, Harry. There's no need to glare at it so."

"Sorry." He muttered, opening it and stepping inside. The sound enveloped him like a blanket, the teenagers busily milling around pressing against him like an unbearable flood of water. It was very claustrophobic, and Harry found himself breathing deeply like he was about to start hyperventilating.

Why couldn't he have just one moment of peace? Even in this desolate place so far from magic, the unnatural side of the world had found him. Right this minute, he could tell that Bysshe was following him somehow, and he began to run, shoving people out of his way and not stopping to apologize.

It wasn't until he collided straight-on with Bella and knocked her down that he stopped running. Out of breath and sweat dripping down his temples, he stuttered an apology. She accepted his hand after they gathered her things from the floor, the thinning crowds going around them.

"Harry, are you okay? You're all out of breath. And you're wet! Were you outside?"

He nodded, out of breath. "I was just having a smoke. I thought I was late for class, so I started running. Listen, I'm really sorry-"

"Don't worry about it. Really." She smiled. "You really shouldn't smoke, though. I don't want you to turn into one of those grumpy old guys that is always ranting about 'the war' and smoking like a fiend even after you've burned your lungs black."

He made a face. "Er, I won't? seriously, I didn't need that mental image, Bella."

"Whatever. You are still going to wait for me by the north doors, right?"

"Of course. This study group had better be all you say it is or else."

She laughed, and then said she had to get going for her next class. They dispersed, and he spent Science staring at the floor counting old gum stains.

000000

The rain had stopped (oh, miracle!) and Harry didn't really mind waiting for Bella by the door as much as he would have if it was pouring and half of it seemed to worm its way inside somehow.

"Hey!" Five minutes of waiting later and here she was, moving as quickly as she could, purse swinging dangerously close to her classmates.

He could see Mike making a pitiful attempt at a threatening look at him from behind a pillar. He didn't even bother to make a face back- Mike was just a little kid on the inside, upset that someone else was playing in 'his' sandbox.

When he started walking outside, she grabbed his shoulder and playfully steered him towards her car. Knowing their destination now, he started to run, taking care to splash her by sprinting through puddles as much as possible. Judging by her very frustrated squawks, his aim was as impeccable as ever.

It was justified revenge for being called her 'little brother'.

"Stop that, you little punk!"

He skidded to a stop beside her hulking trunk, leaning casually against it. She flicked his forehead as she circled around him to get to the driver's side. Once she was inside, she reached over and unlocked his door from the inside, allowing him to gratefully crawl inside.

"So, are you excited?"

"That is a loaded question, Bella."

She gaped at him. "You pervert!"

Instead of acceding to it, he pretended to be horrified. "How could you possibly have taken that the wrong way? Not even my hormone-ridden mind could have made such a foul connection!"

Her lower lip trembled, and then the giggles burst out. He maintained his insulted expression the entire six-minute drive to the library, feigning complete disgust.

"Okay, your highness the queen of England, we have arrived. Shall I fetch your royal red rugs so you do not soil yourself in the mud?"

"Prat." He climbed out and dashed for the doors, pausing to hold them open for her.

The librarian glared at them for closing the doors too loudly, which of course prompted more immature antics from Harry, namely tip-toeing dramatically across the lobby and into the maze of shelves.

Bella nearly had a heart attack keeping her mouth shut.

"Harry, you are never going to get a job here if you keep acting like this! What's gotten into you, anyway? I haven't seen you in such a good mood since we met."

He smiled beatifically. "I just had a chat with someone earlier and put my mind at rest on some things. This is like a post-depression high."

"Oh? What's been on your mind?"

Should he tell her? After all, didn't Bysshe say that Vampires had been around her? "Just…stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" they were ascending a staircase of some kind, and the cracked linoleum crackled under his sneakers. He slid slightly when they reached the half-way point.

"I'm paranoid."

"About what?"

Oh good. She was taking it well.

"Sometimes, most of the time, I think someone is out to get me or someone is watching me, following me."

A bitter look crossed her face so fast he wasn't sure he had seen it at all. How interesting.

"Then you're not the only one."

"I can tell." Since the air was getting heavy, he brightly asked, "Are we almost there?"

"Yeah, it's just up ahead." They were fast approaching a small table tucked into a corner of the facility, and around it already deeply immersed in hushed discussion were some kids who would have fit right into Ravenclaw.

Two were girls, quite possibly sisters or cousins, and there was a guy scribbling down notes while quietly expressing his own opinions.

Harry sat between him and Bella, smiling to dispel any awkwardness.

"Um, guys, this is my friend Harry. He's here to join 'the cause'." They all shared a private laugh over that.

"Welcome, then. Do you want to borrow some notepaper?" the blonde girl asked, holding up a tattered notebook.

He nodded and accepted it. Hooray for extra studying.

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Emmett wrinkled his nose, straightening from the stiff seated position he'd been enjoying for the past few hours. Since he had been told to check up on Bella today of all days, he had done his usual watch and then popped off to the library to study for a college entrance test. He normally wouldn't have needed to, but he had decided to take a Computers Major and needed to brush up on both his history and then the new stuff they were using.

Bella was here, probably with her study group.

But…that wasn't what he smelled. There was someone else with her, someone he had never smelled before. Whoever they were, they smelled great.

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End chapter 6

.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

"Overall, I found this all very enjoyable."

Bella smiled, stuffing her notes into her bag. "Good! You looked like you were having a good time- I haven't heard you get so passionate about something before. I didn't know you were such a spokesperson for human rights."

"Yeah, well, injustice has always riled me up."

"I could tell."

He quirked his lips upwards in a facsimile of a smile, almost all traces of his previous good mood fading as ghost images of the war began to flash over his eyes, all the people he had watched die, unable to do anything to help them…and those whose lives he had ended with his own hands. There were only two people he did not regret killing out of the no-doubt thousands that he had felled; Bellatrix and Voldemort. All the rest haunted him whenever he opened his mind long enough to receive the nightmares.

"Harry?"

"I'm fine."

"Okay." She was used to her father's stock answer, and was willing to let Harry use it too. If he ever wanted to tell her, she knew he would. The one thing she knew for certain about people was that one way or another they let their inner thoughts out. It was only a matter of time.

They walked in silence, and descended the stairs. There were three pictures along the walls, all of them depicting pelicans with blue backgrounds. Judging from the childishness of the art, he assumed it was from some junior art class the library funded.

"I'm going to go ask at the front desk about the job."

"Do you want me to come with you or wait in the car?"

"Um, either is fine. Just do what you feel like doing." He made an effort to smile, and she smiled back.

"In that case I will browse the sale section." She indicated a freestanding shelf on wheels near the door. A pair of old geezers were flipping through a book with a rather scandalous pun-up girl on the cover, apparently a history of the iconic drawings. They were snickering and nudging each other like little boys much to the disapproval of a young woman standing nearby holding the hand of a toddler taking shelter inside the lobby from the rain.

His ears perked up. "They have a sale section?"

"Ah-ha! I knew you were a closet bookworm!"

A librarian hissed at them, and Harry nodded to them, clapping a hand over Bella's mouth. "Now who's trying to ruin my chances of getting hired?"

"Sorry." She tried to say through his hand, but he wouldn't remove it. Since desperate times call for desperate measures, she licked his palm, wrinkling her nose when she tasted sweat. He cursed and yanked his hand away.

"You're an animal."

"I know." She shrugged shamelessly, giving him a shove when he started to look nervous about approaching the front desk. "Come on, tiger! You can do it!"

"Is that some kind of eighties pep talk?"

"Just get your cute butt over there and sweet talk your way into it."

His mouth dropped open. "Did you just call my butt cute? I am appalled!"

She didn't dignify that with a response, but shook her head and walked away. The old men at the sale rack gave her an obvious look-over, but she bypassed them to peruse the rejected romance novels, plucking out a copy of 'Wuthering Heights' from between 'Nights of Passion in Tahiti' and 'The Sex Gods'.

Who wrote that kind of rubbish anyway? From the corner of her eye she could see Harry smooth down his sweater before catching the attention of the librarian at the desk.

"Hullo, miss."

"What can I help you with, young man?"

"Um, this might be wrong, but I heard that there was a job vacancy here and that you took minors."

She straightened; adjusting the 'cat-eye' spectacles perched on her nose. The beaded strands connected to them and wrapped around her throat glittered in the fluorescent light, distracting him momentarily. He often had a reaction to glittering objects, and Ginny had once dragged him through jewelry shops for the sake of watching him try to see all of the glitter at once.

"You heard correctly. Do you have any experience in this field?"

"No, miss, but I promise to work hard. I'm good at organizing stuff and I can be quiet as a mouse."

Her lips quirked upwards.

"Since no one else has applied for it, I will give you two days until I let you know whether or not you will be hired." She dug out a notepad and pen, testing the ink on a corner. None was forthcoming, and she went through two more pens before finding one with enough ink. "Here, write down your phone number."

"Oh, I haven't got a phone."

She stared, and then nodded slowly. "Could you drop in Sunday afternoon at two o'clock, then?"

"Sure. Do you want anything else, or have anymore questions?"

"Nothing comes to mind, except your name of course."

"Potter, Harry. I'm sixteen and attend Forks High School."

"Thank you." She scribbled it down, and then gave him a perfunctory smile that was a clear dismissal. He smiled as well and walked over to Bella, who had accumulated a small stack of books already.

"Are you getting all of those?"

"Yes. they only cost a quarter apiece."

He took a moment to dredge up his mental list of how the American currency worked, and then his eyes widened.

"Is there anything good left?"

"Check for yourself. I don't know what kind of books you like."

The geezers followed Bella up to the desk, purchasing the pin-up book with smirks on their wrinkled and wind-hardened faces. She continued to ignore them, happily purchasing a copy of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and some book on the theory of Oedipal complexes which she was buying for the sake of reading something potentially disturbing.

Harry scanned the titles, sneering at one that sounded particularly sleazy. He found a copy of the Tibetan book of the Dead that caught his eye, but nothing besides that.

"Hey, can I buy this?"

"Yep. That'll be a quarter."

He fished one out of his pocket, handed it over, and walked over to where Bella was standing by the door zipping up her raincoat. It was close to six o'clock already and Harry gave into Bella's demands to drive him home without too much fight.

Since neither of them were particularly good with directions, it was amusing to say the least when he was required to 'guide' her through the back streets. They made it there in one piece, though it took them almost half an hour to travel what probably should have been five minutes if it wasn't raining or dark outside.

"So what are you doing for dinner?"

"Well, dad has some friends of ours over right now and they're sorting out the garage. I made spaghetti for them to eat."

"Oh, good! This means that you can help me make dinner here!"

"Uh…" How had he made that connection? "Seriously? Your uncle won't mind me showing up?"

"Mind? He'll be overjoyed! That bastard is probably wallowing in self-pity because he hasn't seen a woman in so long. I swear, that man was never meant to be single. I feel like a goddamn housewife!"

"I…see." She turned off the ignition and stepped out of her car, which she parked as close to the porch steps as possible. There were three of them, all sagging and peeling dull blue paint.

It was strangely charming. The light shining from a few of the windows lit the outside of the house with a soft glow, adding an almost magical feeling to it all, like she had stepped through a portal into a different world.

Her happy daydream was completely shattered when the front door suddenly slammed open (as in the door was opened to violently that it smacked into the wall outside) and someone dressed in a scummy pair of plaid pajamas with a striped bathrobe missing half its thread count launched themselves onto Harry. They knocked him flat against the porch floor, and both groaned.

"Get off me, Bert!"

"No, shan't. You left me here to starve without so much as a by-your-leave, so consider this punishment!"

"….Bert, I brought a friend home to help me cook you something extra-special."

Bert, as he was apparently named, seemed to come alive, swiftly rising to his feet and ignoring Harry's attempts to stand.

"Where?"

"Hi." Bella waved, feeling ridiculous.

"Well hello there! What's your name, sweetheart?"

Harry growled and kicked the man's legs out from under him before Bella could even open her mouth to reply. "You pervert! That's my classmate! Keep your paws to yourself!"

"I didn't do anything!"

"You were thinking it!"

They continued to bicker throughout the evening, but there seemed be a general feeling of affection and friendliness behind the insults and smacking about so Bella was uncomfortable with it. They made, with little difficulty, some kind of dumpling with vegetable soup.

Bertram gave ridiculously nice compliments to Bella all throughout dinner that both the teenagers had trouble not laughing at.

"I had a great time, guys! Harry, are you still coming with me to La Push tomorrow?"

"Yep. When did you want to pick me up? And can you find your way back here again?"

"If you write down your address, I can do a google maps to make sure I don't screw it up. Is 9 in the morning too early for me?"

"If you don't mind being quiet so we don't disturb Bert's hang-over-" He coughed dramatically, "I mean migraine, it should be fine."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow!" Bella waved, and skipped out the door to her car.

The drive back was a little scary because it was pitch black and she wasn't entirely firm on her sense of direction, but she made it home safely and before her unofficial 10:00 o'clock curfew.

000000

Dissatisfied, Emmett sat back on his haunches and contemplated what he was going to do about this. Bella's new friend was obviously a fighter of some kind from the way he moved and held himself in various postures, not to mention how alert he was, but for all he knew Potter could just be a martial arts student.

This was all very frustrating, and not to mention how giddy that smell made him. He had had to make a quick pit stop in the woods and devour a hapless family of birds to sate the thirst awakened by the teen's scent. It was agonizing to hold himself back from introducing himself and using every Vampire skill he had to draw him in and away from everyone else so he could help himself to his blood-

He swallowed the saliva-like substance filling his mouth. Oh, this was bad. This was very bad. How the hell was Rosalie going to react when she found out, like she always did? They had been fighting a lot lately as it was and the last thing he needed to tell her was that he was feeling very strong _urges _toward a human boy. Thirst wasn't the only thing that smell made him feel.

Currently he was outside Bella's bedroom window, dispassionately watching her start to drift off into sleep. He should go back and report to the Cullens that a possible threat was here, since people like Harry were wild cards, but the rain had finally stopped and the moon had come out. He had always liked the moon, so he stayed a while to admire it, oblivious to the fact that just across the town someone else of his kind was doing the exact same thing outside of Harry's window.

Bysshe had settled himself on the gable nearest to Harry's bed, one gangly leg tucked to his chest and the other swinging freely in the air.

He wanted a cigarette.

Harry wasn't asleep yet, since he had elected to not drink himself into a stupor for the sake of having more energy than a corpse tomorrow morning, and was humming some song that sounded vaguely familiar under his breath as he flipped through the book he'd bought at the library earlier.

Bysshe's sharp ears picked up every low vibrating note coming from Harry's tender white throat and each crackly page as it turned under his scarred fingers. It made for very nice background noise on a still night like this.

In the distance wolves howled, and his ears twitched. Harry was going to La Push tomorrow with Bella to meet her little werewolf friend, although he was willing to bet money that she had no idea he was anything other than a normal teenager like herself.

Kids these days…none of them had any sense.

He could smell another Vampire in the town, and he wondered why they were being so rude and not introducing themselves, but then he remembered that his own nose had always been unnaturally sharp and that had probably translated into his Vampire body.

He sighed. He _still _wanted a smoke. It was like having an itch on the arch of his foot- excruciating in its inaccessibility. He could probably ask Harry for a stick or two, but didn't want to compromise the boy's sense of safety by barging in on him like that.

0000000

End chapter 7


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Bella woke up an hour before she had to pick up Harry, got dressed, and went downstairs to make herself some tea. Since Harry's surprise visit she had decided that she liked the fruit teas and was in the mood for some. While the microwave faithfully heated her water, she sifted through her box until she found blackberry, and then moved onto the cabinets for the thermos she knew they had stashed somewhere.

Wrapping her fingers around it at last, she pulled it out, dusted it off, and then decided it needed a rinse before she could do anything like pour tea into it.

The microwave beeped and she turned it off absently, busying herself with making the thermos useful again.

So far her vague plans for the day were to drive over to Harry's place, then to La Push. Depending on the traffic, they would either have some time to browse the shops in the area before lunch or would just eat right away. She was hoping she could sucker Harry into reading to her in the car on the way there.

Once she had prepared her tea, she helped herself to some cereal, washed out her bowl, and got dressed after a brief mental debate between jeans and a dress. She went with the dress, stubbornly ignoring the small part of her psyche that knew her too well proclaiming that she picked the dress because it's color made her look pretty.

Tucking her feet into her sneakers since there was no way she was going to attempt heels, dress or not, she skipped down the stairs, grabbed her thermos, and got into her truck. The morning was warming up already and the yellowing sunlight made it much easier to follow the map she'd printed off the internet to Harry's house.

She hadn't realized how desolate the area around the house was or how far out of town it was. It was more beautiful this way, she thought. When she parked the car, she noticed that Harry was sitting on the porch, head slumped onto one shoulder and breathing softly as he slept. Bert was moving around in the kitchen, which she could see through the window, and drinking coffee at a rapid pace.

Gently shaking his shoulder, she waited until his eyes fluttered before smiling patronizingly down at him and ruffling his hair.

"Good morning, kiddo. Are you able to stand on your own feet or do I need to spoon you off of here?"

He grunted and got to his feet, brushing down his jeans absently. "I can stand. You might have to carry me to the car, though."

"You are such a diva."

A deeply condescending look formed on his features and he arrogantly buffed his nails against his tee-shirt. "You know, miss Swan, there are certain kinds of people that are considered divas from birth. You should be honored to have met me at all."

"You're full of shit." She clapped a hand over her mouth a second later, eyes wide. She had never used that expression before, and she had been raised using 'polite' language. It was official: Harry was a bad influence on her.

He looked just as startled, but started laughing. "Oh, what would your father say?"

"Nothing, because you're going to keep your big mouth shut if you know what's good for you."

"Whatever, Swan. Don't we have someplace to be?"

"Yep, and the sooner you move the sooner we can go."

"Yes, ma'am." He got into the car and adjusted himself until he was comfortably slouched with his back pack on the floor between where his feet would have been if he didn't have them propped on the dashboard.

"You sure made yourself at home, didn't you?"

"Mm-hm."

"Well, if you want to keep your feet up there, you're going to have to do me a little favor."

"Such as…?"

She dug through her purse quickly and removed Wuthering Heights. "You get to read to me."

"Oh, okay." He took it without complaint and waited for her to adjust the radio to her liking before diving into the dark storyline of unrequited love and Heathcliff's tortured mind.

Needless to say, the trip passed much faster than it would have otherwise, and they were half-way through the thick book by the time they reached La Push, and the traffic had been particularly heavy that day.

"Shoot, I think we're late!" Bella looked at her cell phone and groaned. "God, we are!"

They unbuckled hastily, Harry nicking his fingers in his haste and getting his back pack tangled tightly around his neck. He made no effort to untangle it until they had entered the restaurant and been flagged over by an American-Indian boy. Even though he was sitting down Harry could tell he probably rivaled the Weasley Twins in height.

It brought back uncomfortable memories of when his life was a lot more secure than it was now. Sure, there was the dark cloud of the dark lord hanging over him all the time, but back then it had been so much farther off and he hadn't been subjected to the harsh disillusionment that led to his current state of cynicism. He squeezed his eyes tight slowly, then quickly a few times to clear his mind. He distracted himself by looking around for a 'no smoking' sign. He didn't find one, which was cheering. He hadn't smoked in the car at all, and the desire for some pleasant nicotine-induced happiness was growing.

"Oh my god, Jacob, I am so sorry we're late!"

"Hey Bella!" He grinned and accepted her hesitant hug, squeezing her tightly around the shoulders. "I'm kind of bummed I missed you last night, so it's cool that we could meet up here."

"Yeah. Oh, this is my friend Harry, by the way. He just moved to Forks this last week."

"'Lo." He smiled, rocking back on his feet.

Jacob's eyes widened. He obviously hadn't realized that Harry was there with Bella, therefore ruining any misconceptions he might have had that this was a 'date'.

"Are we going to stand here or shall we preserve our immune systems and sit while we eat?" Harry asked after a moment of silence, cocking his head to the side. Bella quickly shoved Harry into the booth, forcing him to slide in and then sandwiched him between her and the wall.

"Hey!"

She smiled and petted his arm. "Don't be a baby."

Jacob snorted and Bella reached over to pat his arm as well. "There, now everyone is even."

"Hooray." Harry muttered, digging through his pockets for his cigarettes. Tapping a stick out, he lit it and inhaled.

Exhaling was like a sigh of happiness, and a lazy smile spread across his face. Jacob, as he was assuming the other guy was named, eyed him with trepidation. "Oh, sorry; I didn't mean to be rude, love. Did you want one?"

"Uh, no. I don't….I don't smoke."

"Alright, then." He smiled, settling his back into the cheap plastic of the booth. "You don't mind if I do, do you?"

"Um, its okay with me. A lot of people on the Reservation smoke so I'm used to it."

"Reservation? What's that?" he took another drag, raising his eyebrows when Bella started laughing. "What? I don't think we have them in England, whatever he's on about. Now, if you wouldn't mind explaining?"

A waitress came over and passed around glasses of water. "Do you guys want anything to drink?"

"Um, a coke. Jacob?"

"Just water is fine by me."

The waitress nodded, and then looked to Harry. "And you?"

"Have you got coffee?"

"Certainly."

"That'll be fine, then. Thanks."

"No problem. And I'll be right back with an ashtray for you." She deposited their menus and walked off, her ponytail swinging, to help another table.

"So back to Reservations and what they are?"

Jacob nodded and took a sip of water. "Um, Indian Reservations are these mini-cultures where American Indians live, in a nutshell."

Harry nodded and took another drag from his cigarette, slumping further into his seat and studying the view through the window while Bella and Jacob exchanged pleasantries and she asked about his family.

The diner provided them with an excellent view, from this side of the building, of a motel. He saw an old lady let herself into a room equipped with a bright blue suitcase on rollers. On the floor above her, a young couple glancing suspiciously around their shoulders as if they were scared to be caught also checked into a room. He grinned.

Ah. Young love. There was nothing else like it, and thank god for that.

"So, Harry, how do you like America so far?" Jacob spoke up, playing with a small gold ring circling his right pinky. Harry stretched out his 'other' senses after feeling a faint vibration from it and they picked up a definite presence of unnatural power from not only the ring but Jacob himself.

It wasn't vampiric, though. It was far more…familiar. It felt like- like-

Fuck. He couldn't figure it out.

Meanwhile, while he was having an inner tantrum over his horrible memory, Bella and Jacob were exchanging looks because Harry hadn't answered the question and actually seemed to have drifted off into some kind of mental state.

"Um, Harry?"

"Huh? What?" he nearly knocked over his glass of water, barely saving it in time with a snap of his wrist that blurred when Bella tried to catch it with her eyes. Jacob's eyes intensified, pupils dilating, and his nostrils flared.

Bella didn't notice.

"Jacob asked how you like the U.S."

"Oh, other than the rain, it's quite nice and I like Forks so far. Have either of you ever been to England?"

Jacob shook his head slowly, still fixated on Harry's bizarre 'aura', for lack of a better term. Why hadn't he noticed at first? And he was now positive that the heavenly smell he was picking up, thinly masked with the boy's nicotine sticks, and was coming from Harry himself. It was like the scented smoke from sacrificial herbs or something similar: not something that sounds good, but smells good.

"I really want to go sometime." Bella murmured wistfully, playing with the plastic of her menu.

"Well, if you ever get around to it, I'll give you a tour. I could introduce you to my mates; they'd love you." He smiled at her. "Have you decided what to eat yet?"

"I think the soup and salad thing might be good."

Jacob laughed softly.

"What was that about?" Bella asked, taking a sip of her water and smiling at the waitress when she came over with Harry's coffee, ashtray, and Bella's soda.

"Have you guys decided what to get?"

"Um…" Bella looked between the two of them, but Harry said what Jacob was thinking.

"Ladies first."

"Okay then. I will have the soup and salad lunch special."

"What kind of soup?"

"Lentil."

Jacob made a face and shuddered slightly, making Harry snicker quietly. For the first time they shared an honest smile and Harry mouthed that he hated lentils too.

"And for you, sir?"

"Give me another second. Jacob?"

"Just a burger."

"And salad for me."

"Dressing?"

"Nope."

Once she'd left, Bella turned her head to stare at Harry. "Salad is all you're going to eat?"

With seriousness he didn't feel, Harry gravely said, "I'm on a diet."

Jacob grinned. "The only diet you need to be on is a fattening sort they give to people with eating disorders. I could probably fold you up and fit you into a handbag."

Harry looked calculatingly at Jacob's first signs of muscle development speculatively. "You know what, you probably could. What are they putting in your food at this Reservation of yours? Steroids?"

"No, this is all me."

Bella groaned, "Boys."

"What?!"

"What?!"

Once they finished with lunch, and Harry consumed 2 cigarettes and a few bites of his salad, they got up to wander around La Push. When Bella suggested the American Indian book store she liked, Jacob offered no objections and the only issue Harry had was whether or not he would have enough pocket change to buy a new sweater- one that didn't have holey bits or large amounts of thread missing.

He ended up getting the sweater Bella said looked nice on him, although the real reason he succumbed to her wishes was because it was cheaper than the red one.

Over the day, since they were only staying until about four, they visited as many shops as possible as soon as Bella found out that Jacob hated shopping. After all, what better way to express friendship than to force the object of it to do something they hate?

"This is hell, Bella. Why did I agree to do this?"

Harry patted him on the back. "Because you can't say no to that face of hers."

Jacob nodded thoughtfully, chewing his cuticles absently even as the shop clerk gave them very disdainful looks. "Are you almost done trying those shoes on, Bella? You know you can't fool us; we know you don't like this pointless packing about anymore than we can!"

Bella looked up at them from where she was trying to find a pair of heels that didn't make her feel vaguely suicidal. "Oh damn, you've caught my game."

"excellent. Does this mean we can go now?"

"Yeah, or at least stand outside? I need a cigarette."

"Fine, you two can go out there and I will sort this out by myself." When they had filed dutifully out, she muttered, "Bastards" under her breath, but smiled as she did.

"So what do you like to do?" Harry casually asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets. A cold autumn wind blew past, the sign of the planet's yearly descent into death.

"Um, I like to be outdoors a lot. And I like spending time with my family- we're very into being together like a…like a pack."

And like a light bulb, that one word sparked what Harry had been sensing from him, what his magic had been frantically screaming at him all bloody afternoon (seriously, it was enough to give a bloke a migraine).

_Werewolf._

Jacob was a fuckin' werewolf!

He shook his head at the irony of it. First vampires, now werewolves, and none of them were wizards of any kind. How many more reminders of what he had lost did he need? None, if he had his way. He should probably write Ron another letter.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah." he had the perfect alibi, after all. "I'm an orphan and hearing about families like yours always strikes a chord in me, that's all."

"God, I'm sorry. I'm such a dick."

"No you're not, mate. There' no way you could have known something like that."

"But still."

"No, its okay."

"Okay." Jacob bowed his head, clenching his hands into fists in his pockets. He was so insensitive.

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End chapter 8

I know its not healthy, but as a fact: coffee does fill you up. Seriously, I have gone days on just that (granted they were very stressful work-packed days), and it IS doable. This is just a pre-emptive strike against anyone who wants to complain.

Oh, and if someone has a problem with Bella swearing, sorry! I need it for this plot thing later, though.

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	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

"How is she?" Carlisle asked without looking up from his papers, scribbling his signature on the bottom of a health report.

"She's fine, but there's something else up. We've got a problem."

He looked up, meeting Emmett's eyes and jerking his head towards the chair in front of his desk normally meant for worried family members of his patients. "What kind of problem?"

Emmett sighed and ran a large hand over his face. "That's the first part of it. I don't know what it is."

Carlisle raised his eyebrows. "I don't follow, Emmett."

"I…well; I'll just tell you what I know, okay? I was doing my usual check-up, and then decided to work on my paper. However, when Bella came in later for her study group, I could feel this new presence with her. He's sixteen, goes to her school, recently moved to Forks from England with a relative of some kind, and smokes. His hair is black."

Carlisle nodded. "And?"

"And he feels and looks dangerous…he smells _good._"

His breath caught. "Like Bella's scent to Edward?"

"No, I don't think he's my singer, but his scent is very strong. I think there's some kind of substance in his blood."

Carlisle leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers and tapping one of his feet rapidly. It formed a blurred line like a hummingbird's wings, and Emmett shifted uneasily. "Does Bella know about him being whatever-it-is he is?"

"I don't think so. Oh, and she's been hanging about with that werewolf, Jacob."

"Oh dear."

"Yep."

"Well, next time you have a moment, please track down this boy's records and find out as much as you can. It's the most we can do for now; update me if anything important or shocking turns up in his past."

Emmett nodded, feeling much more relieved now that he had a plan and was about to leave when Carlisle's voice stopped him. "One more thing: we are not telling Edward about this yet. The last thing he needs right now is another thing to worry about while he's hunting Victoria."

"Of course. That makes sense. Am I allowed to tell Rosalie?"

Carlisle blinked, and then realization seemed to flow over his face. "Emmett, I'm sorry. I didn't realize. You can tell whatever you need to her with my blessing, and let me know if there are any real problems. I'm willing to have a talk with her if you'd like."

"Thanks."

He just smiled, although it quickly disappeared when Emmett was gone from his office. What was he going to do about this strange person? And what could they possibly be? He might just have to pay Forks a nice little visit himself soon to see what was going on.

000000

"What's wrong?" Rosalie asked immediately after giving Emmett her customary hello kiss.

"Uh, nothing." He grinned far too wide for it to be sincere. "Everything's great."

"And the world's flat. Emmett, don't do this to me. You know I can tell when you're lying to me. What happened? Did something happen to Edward?" her eyes were wide and searching his own for some kind of hint. No one else got to see this side of her, her more 'feminine' side that he had been honored with when they were alone.

He took pity on her and decided that now would have to do as the time to break the news. "Edward's fine." She sighed with relief. "I just wanted to let you know that I feel…um…"

"Sick? Hungry?"

"No, Rosalie. I might as well just come out with it, since beating around the bush is only going to make it worse and-"

"Emmett."

"Hm?"

"You're babbling. What the hell happened?"

"Ifeelcalledtosomeone."

She stared, and he knew she had heard his message loud and clear because her hands slowly slipped off his shoulders to fall loosely at her sides. Her feet seemed unable to support her properly now, and her slim body swayed dangerously to one side. He reached out and gripped her side to hold her up but she smacked his hand away, taking another step back.

She didn't look angry, which he normally would have taken as a good sign if blood wasn't welling up in her eyes where tears would have been had her heart still beat the rhythm of life. "I…I…"

"Rosalie, this doesn't mean I've acted on it or that I will. I mean, it might be a fluke."

Her temper seemed to explode and she snarled, "Fuck you, Emmett. Don't give me that nice guy bullshit when I know you're just trying to make me feel better!" She heaved a deep breath and folded her arms. "We knew from the very first day we became a couple that we weren't 'soul mates' or a 'life pair' or any of that romantic shit."

"Rosalie-"

"No, let me finish." She held her hand to keep him quiet when he opened his mouth again. "I knew this day would come, I just wasn't expecting you to find someone first. I guess I always thought I would be the one to leave you."

The blood threatening to spill down her cheeks receded slightly, which he was going to consider a good thing since he'd only seen her cry once before and it hadn't been very pleasant, resulting in a trashed hotel suite and a very upset hotel manager.

"But I'm not leaving you!"

"Not yet, you mean. It's only a matter of time, and maybe it's better if we start now to make it easier on the both of us."

"So…you're dumping me?"

"I guess so. This doesn't mean we can't be friends, of course."

"Of course." He leaned down to kiss her and then realized half-way there that that might not be appropriate now. She rolled her eyes and kissed him without so much as a second thought.

"Don't get awkward on me, now." She lightly smacked his cheek, her nails scraping slightly. "You know I hate it when you get self-conscious."

"Sorry."

"Forgiven. So when are you going to introduce me to her?"

He coughed, even though it was a pathetic stalling technique since Vampires didn't cough.

"Emmett…what did you do?"

"It's a guy."

She looked numb shocked, mouth opening and then closing. "I really don't know what to say. Are you gay? Have you been gay the entire time we were together?"

"No! No, no, Rosalie. Just…no. I was and still am very attracted to you. I simply happen to feel very strongly towards this guy and I don't know why."

"Does this guy have a name?"

"Harry."

"That's a boring name."

"I knew you were going to say that!"

She laughed quietly, all traces of tears gone. "I can't believe I'm taking this so well. I mean, I have every right to be beating the shit out of you right now. I don't know why I'm not kicking your ass right now." She gnawed on her lower lip, cocking her head to one side and watching him curiously.

"You can slap me for the sake of tradition." Emmett shrugged. "I won't stop you."

Giggling at the situation, she struck his left cheek, then his right. "There. My inner beast is satisfied."

"God, don't get me started on inner beasts."

They were quiet, and then they sat as one on the sofa. "So, what does he look like? Is he cute?"

Emmett blushed as much as a Vampire can blush, which means that the corners of his eyes turned pink. "I didn't get a good look at him, but he's very…very nicely-shaped."

"Oooh."

"Shut up."

"Oh come on, I'm allowed to be curious about who gets to 'replace' me." She bumped his shoulder, laughing darkly when his eyelids turned almost completely red. "Have you ever considered wearing eye shadow? You look very nice like that."

"Just because I want to eat a boy in several different ways does not mean I'm going to start wearing make-up."

She looked disappointed, and then hopefully asked, "Does he look like the type I could dress up? I mean, I don't really like Bella and Alice has already claimed dibs on dressing her up."

"I've created a monster."

"Hell yeah. Is that gonna be a problem, babes?" She smiled coyly, fluttering her long eyelashes at him flirtatiously.

He just groaned. He hadn't even talked to Harry yet and this was the kind of crap he had to put up with. Although he couldn't deny that the thought of Harry in a dress was, while disturbing, also kind of cute.

00000

Harry held up first the wheat cereal and then the bran, wrinkling his forehead. The inside of his cheek was numb from him chewing on it in his indecision. He was stuck. Bert had asked him to pick up cereal so he could try it, and he didn't know which of these was going to taste nastier. One had worm-shaped soy things in it, and one was just bland.

Decisions, decisions.

Not to mention that he was pretty sure someone was following him around the store. Even now he could see, by first slipping his fringe to one side and then peering very discretely through it, an entire half a black shoe. It was a very large shoe, and of masculine design, so he was going to assume that his stalker was a guy. He was fairly certain that it wasn't Bysshe since the only kinds of shoes he'd seen him wear were scummy sneakers almost as bad as his own, and this guys shoe was much nicer and looked possibly designer-made.

He went back to his cereal, deciding to go with the bran since it looked nastier. Knowing Bert, he might actually like it.

Heading towards the front to buy his goods, Harry became aware that his stalker was moving, so he turned around as fast as he was able. A big guy, with very broad shoulders and the kind of build that belied not just muscle but big bones underneath it all to support the weight.

The guy tried to look casual and was doing a fine job of it, but Harry knew better.

"Hi!"

"Oh, uh, hi."

"Did you want to say something to me?"

"Um, no?"

Harry put on his best 'innocent' face, which Bella had assured him made him look like a naughty child trying to pull the cute card. "But you've been following me ever since I passed through the Fruit section."

The guy looked caught off guard. "Uh, no I wasn't."

"Yeah you were."

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Was not!"

Harry sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. "Look, I don't want to have a childish argument with you. We're not seven-year-olds and I think you should just say to me what you wanted, unless you were following me because you were bored." He had just given him an easy way out, but he thought it was worth the risk.

"I guess I just wanted to say hello."

"Hello. Mission accomplished or was there something else?"

"My name's Emmett."

Harry nodded. This was a very unusual conversation, and more than a little awkward, but this Emmett guy was more than a little good looking, not to mention intimidating, so his interest was piqued.

"Do we know each other from somewhere?" Emmett shook his head. "Oh, and I'm Harry, by the way." He shook his hand, almost jumping when he felt how cold it was. "It's nice to meet you, Emmett."

"Likewise. You're new in Forks?"

"Yep, shiny new. I haven't seen you around- do you live around here?"

"Nope, just passing through."

"Cool."

"Were you going to buy that or…?" He indicated Harry's over-flowing shopping basket, the cheap orange plastic bending dangerously in the middle under the weight of far more lettuce than would be appreciated by a vegetarian.

"Yeah. Come with?"

"Mm." Emmett slid easily to stand beside him as he moved towards the nearest free cashier.

"You didn't answer my question." Harry calmly reminded him while unloading his groceries onto the gray conveyer belt after sending the ancient man running the station a cautious look to make sure the geezer wasn't dead on his feet.

"Which one?"

"If we know each other from someplace."

"I don't think so…do you ever go to La Push?" Emmett's voice, now that Harry paid attention to it, was very smooth. Too smooth. Not to mention that his hair was healthier than most men's, his skin was deathly pale but glowing faintly with life rather than absorbing light like a corpse's did, and his teeth were very white from what little Harry had seen of them.

"Yeah, I went yesterday."

"I might have seen you then." He smiled, flashing two rows of teeth as white as Bysshe's. a quick searching look into his eyes revealed them to be pale bronze, not unlike the Vampire's.

Harry inwardly screamed. Why couldn't he be left alone?! But since he had always been slightly fascinated by Vampires in Care of Magical Creatures and Bysshe was nice enough, he decided that he should take the chance to get to know another one.

"Do you want to get a coffee or something?"

"Oh…um…sure. Do you know any good places?"

"Not really, but hey, we can look together." Harry smiled brightly, using a real one this time, the sort he used to give Hermione after she'd done something spectacularly intelligent and silently asked for praise.

"Okay." Emmett smiled again, and Harry decided that despite his blinding teeth it was a very nice smile.

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End chapter 9

Sorry my updates have been more sporadic lately, but I've been busy in the evenings lately so that cut into my writing time. Any thoughts on Rosalie's reaction are welcome, even if they are outraged screams.

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	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

After shifting his groceries into a comfortable position since he still didn't have a car, he set out with Emmett to prowl the streets of Forks until he found someplace that served coffee. A bell tinkled as they entered and Harry inhaled the smell of caffeine and roasting coffee beans with an expression of ecstasy. Strangely enough, he could feel Emmett's eyes burning into him as he did so.

Perusing the menu, written in chalk on the blackboard that covered an entire half a wall in handwriting that would put a small child just learning their ABCs to shame, intensely, Harry asked, "What are you going to get?"

"I don't know yet. What do you normally get?"

"Frankly, I've never tried any of this fancy shit. I've stuck with brewed since it was what was available but I think now is the time to branch out."

"Then I'll have whatever you think I should get since we're both amateurs."

Harry nodded, "Yeah, and it would help you save some brain cells."

Emmett grinned and poked his ribs. "Watch that mouth of yours."

Harry poked him back swiftly and shifted smoothly to the side when Emmett attempted to retaliate. "I think I know what I want now." He waved to the clerk. "Excuse me!"

They wiped their hands on their apron and sauntered over with the special walk used by those who have been either standing too long or not been sleeping enough. "Yeah?"

"I'll have a medium latte and the big guy here will have the same."

"Okay. Names?"

"Emmett."

"And I'm Harry."

"That'll be $8.50."

Harry wrinkled his nose at the outrageous sum but dug through his pockets, searching for a tenner he could have sworn he'd stuffed in there sometime, when Emmett pulled out a wallet he knew was of expensive make.

"Whoa, you don't have to pay! I know I have the money someplace-"

"No, it's my treat." He handed the man what he needed, told him to keep the change, and steered Harry over to the 'waiting' side of the counter. Resting his hip against the edge, he raised his eyebrows, desperately holding back a laugh at the very disgruntled look he was getting from the teenager.

"You didn't have to do that, you know."

"Yeah, but I wanted to. You picked the drink, I paid." He shrugged. "It seems like a fair exchange to me."

"well…thanks."

Emmett's eyes widened when he saw the faint pink edge to Harry's normally deathly-pale face (a consequence of late nights combined with more cigarettes than one should consume). Now wasn't that interesting.

"Alright, Harry, tell me about yourself."

Harry laughed suddenly, looking at him with interest. "Why?"

"Because that's what I was led to believe people normally did on dates."

"Alright, point taken, but I propose an alteration."

"Oh?"

"I say something about myself, and then you. How's that?"

"Fair enough."

"Okay…well, let's start with age. I'm sixteen. You?"

Emmett took a millisecond to think about it. Should he tell the truth?

"Just turned twenty."

"Really?" Harry looked him over. "I'd have thought you were older, although I suppose it's the bulk that's throwing me off."

"Heh, are you calling me fat?"

"Not at all." Harry smiled suavely. "I'm quite jealous, actually. My particular build allows for some muscle, but I'll always be a bit girlish."

"You don't look that bad. I think you look nice."

Harry blinked, and then smirked in a way that would have put Malfoy to shame back in the days when school-boy rivalries meant something to him. "Are you flirting with me?"

Emmett, instead of looking confused or awkward, nodded coolly, accepting the coffees that a second assistant set down, sparing them a curious look before going back to work. Harry couldn't blame them, they must have looked pretty odd together, especially in a small town like this that probably hadn't had even a hint of homosexuality in it in years.

"I might be."

Harry almost spilled his coffee, jarring his stirring stick against the side. "Pardon?"

"I might be flirting- would that be a problem?"

"Um, maybe just slightly. You are kind of old."

"Hey!"

He laughed and led the way out of the coffee shop. "Come on, walk with me! It's not raining for once, although it's still bloody overcast." He grumbled towards the end of his sentence, glaring up at the gray sky. Not a patch of blue was visible, as per usual.

"And of course there's the Vampire thing to keep in mind." Since he took a sip of his latte, deciding he liked it, he missed the utterly shocked look on Emmett's face. Quite suddenly he found himself pulled into an alley with a small spot of hot coffee seeping into his shirt, squeezed between Emmett and the brick wall.

He blinked.

"Um, Emmett, are you okay?"

"What was that about Vampires?"

"Oh, you aren't one? Oh my god, I am so sorry! Don't be offended, I meant it as a compliment-"

Emmett just stared as Harry continued to babble. Finally, when Harry started looking really apologetic, he interrupted. "I…how do you know Vampires exist?"

"I'm looking at one."

"Yeah, but how did you know?"

"Your skin is cold, you're pale, your eyes are a certain color, and the way you move shows me that you are holding yourself back all the time, like the world around you is made of glass and you're a sledge-hammer. Oh, and you smell like my friend Bysshe, who I know is a Vampire."

Emmett's thoughts froze. There was another Vampire around here? It was bad enough with those Werewolves!

"Bysshe? Who is this Bysshe and where is he?"

"Here."

A freezing hand touched his bulky shoulder lightly, and he whirled around, standing protectively in front of Harry without realizing it. A dark eyebrow rose, burgundy eyes far too red to even be mistaken for brown wide and feigning innocence.

"I believe you wanted to speak with me?"

"Bysshe, don't be patronizing. Emmett's a little surprised right now, aren't you, lovey?" He gently touched Emmett's arm, his warm fingertips soothing the tense muscles slightly and gradually the 'fire' left the largest man's eyes, albeit it flickered in the depths.

"Where did you come from? Why couldn't I smell you?"

"I'm from a lot of places. Originally I was born in Gaul, but they call it France now. And as for the smell, a simple suppressant taken once every twelve hours is the only precaution I need to take. You should try it some time: they're dead useful when stalking those who appreciate the more delicate things in life."

"How long have you been following me?"

"Oh, don't be pretentious. I wasn't following you at all…I was following Harry, and he knew I was there, didn't you?"

Emmett looked over his shoulder at Harry, who just nodded with a smile. "I said we were friends, Emmett. This isn't some kind of confrontation; he's just saying 'hi'."

"Hi."

"Hi." Emmett replied, still looking confused. What the hella was another Vampire doing in this area?

"So I'm guessing that you're the one who checks up on Bella?"

"W-what?"

Bysshe sighed. "Miss Swan? The girl you follow or watch at night sometimes? I was kind of offended that you didn't bother to, you know, say hello."

Harry stepped out from behind Emmett, sipping his latte cheerfully. "So Bysshe are you gonna walk me home? I think its time I introduced you to my 'parents'."

"I think I'm going to pass-"

"No you're not. I know for a fact that you are not only bored but that you have nothing better to do but follow me." he folded his arms and smirked when Bysshe tried to object. "Don't pull that bullshit. Do you want to come too, Emmett?"

"Why? I mean, we just met…"

"Well, you don't have to come." Harry laughed. "Only if you want to. And besides, I doubt you know any other Vampires around here unless your coven is passing through or something."

"Or something."

"Your coven can come too. Bert won't mind-"

Emmet broke in. "You do realize that you are freely inviting Vampires into your home, right?"

"Yeah. I'm taking the tiny fact of me still being alive as a good sign, and I already know Bysshe won't eat me. he knows what will happen to his icy manly parts if he tries anything, not to mention that my guardian is a form of ex-military and he will have no qualms about staking the both of you if you give me any trouble."

"S-staking?" Emmet whispered, too stunned to believe his ears. He hadn't come across anything like this before- it was like this Harry kid was some kind of expert. Sure, staking Vampires was semi-common knowledge thanks to pop culture and movies, but this kid knew how to recognize the friggin' signs and everything!

"Yep. With yew wood and all that good stuff…you know, with the special rocks and the moonlight and whatever else. Coffins..." He finished his coffee, tossing it into a dumpster set against the wall of the alley. "So are you guys coming or not? I need to head back now and put these groceries away anyway so it's now or never."

"I'll come." Bysshe said, rubbing his neck and tilting it at different angles, trying to get rid of the crick in it.

"Me too. I want you to tell me how you know so much about Vampires."

"Sure thing. You wouldn't happen to have a car, would you?"

Emmett shook his head regretfully. He hadn't realized they would be walking to wherever Harry lived.

The walk was almost silent, with Bysshe pointing out cool trees for Harry and telling him what kind they were. They had crossed the tracks and were well on their way to the house when it started to sprinkle, so they ended up sprinting 30 feet in the mud, creating quite a mess on their trousers.

Stepping inside, they were hit with a wall of heat and Harry sighed blissfully. "Ah, sweet warmth. No offense to you guys, but I like the heat."

"None taken. I'm partial to the island paradise over the ski resort myself." Emmett replied, following Harry's example and tugging off his sneakers. His socked feet made no noise on the combination of shag carpet and stained wood floors, so he wasn't too surprised when a man he was going to assume was Bert screeched after looking up from mixing something in a cooking bowl to find 3 people standing a few feet away.

"I brought people for dinner, Bert. I hope you don't mind."

Having recovered himself, Bert scuffed a hand through his mop smiled politely. "I don't mind at all, but I would appreciate a little warning about them being Vampires next time; I only have a little bit to feed them, you know."

Emmett and Bysshe exchanged looks.

"We can catch some rabbits, Bert. It'll take five seconds- there are tons living under the porch."

"Fine, go make yourself useful." He shoved Harry towards the door with the butt end of his spatula, grinning at the Vampire's bewilderment. They were obviously still trying to sort out the 'food' bit. "He will be right back with something fresher for you two to nibble on if you feel puckish in the slightest." He leaned forward conspiratorially. "I know what he must smell like to you, so this is just to keep the edge off."

"Why does he smell the way he does?" Emmett leaped at the chance for an answer to the question slowly driving him mad. If he had been able to sleep, he was sure he would have lost it over the mental agony he went through trying to solve the boy currently outside destroying the livelihood of furry rodents. A quick search into his background came up very puzzling as well- up until 6 years before this month, there was a normal childhood in Surrey, England, but when September of his eleventh year came around, he just…vanished.

"Oh, well, let's just say that Harry has a very high concentration of a certain type of DNA not commonly found in the majority of the international population."

"What kind of DNA?"

And then Bert smiled, the blank kind receptionists gave you right before telling you that your Very Important Appointment had been cancelled. Emmett knew he wasn't going to like what the man was about to say.

"The special kind of DNA."

"I-"

"See, I told you I could catch some!" Harry spoke up from the entry-way, toeing off his shoes from the sound of it. A moment later he rounded the corner with two rabbits in each hand, holding them by their ears. Their necks hadn't been snapped, and they wriggled in his grasp.

"Oh, very nice. I'll just set those in a basket for now." Bert took them, tucking them under an upside-down laundry basket. It moved a little with their scurrying, but Harry sat on it.

"What were you guys talking about?"

"Special DNA." Emmett practically snarled.

Harry didn't seem to notice. "Oh, cool."

"_Your _special DNA."

"But I haven't got-"

"Harry." Bert's voice was sharper than either of the Vampires had heard it before. "It's what I told them was different about you and the reason you smell different to them."

"That's a nice way of putting it." Harry mused, seemingly unconcerned.

"Hm."

"What is special DNA?" Emmett demanded, determined to get answers. "And where did you go when you turned 11?"

Harry looked up sharply, green eyes alert behind his glasses. Emmett was uncomfortably reminded of how little he really knew about this kid, and then promptly scolded himself for thinking that. He was the strong guy, here!

"What makes you think I went somewhere when I was 11?"

"Your background files."

"So I was right."

Emmett blinked. "What do you mean?"

Harry looked up from where he had clasped his hands. The pots sizzled in the background, a surprisingly pleasant smell coming from whatever Bert was cooking. "I was sure you had been watching me, and it makes sense that you would go so far as to do your research."

"You didn't answer my first question."

"I went to school."

"Okay, which one and why aren't there any records of it?"

"It's a private institution for people with 'special DNA', and it is illegal for me to tell you where it is and what it's called."

"Oh…"

"Yeah."

Silence descended, and the laundry basket moved violently to one side as the rabbits rammed it with their bodies.

"Why don't you kids go into the parlor for now?" Bert suggested brightly.

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End chapter 10

Chapter 10 already!


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

The couch felt like it was hugging Emmett, and he seriously started to consider asking Harry where he had got it before he realized that, judging from the other furnishings scattered around the house, it had been stolen off someone's street corner. And that he would have nowhere to put it if he did get a couch like this.

"So what's your coven like?"

"I'm sorry?" Emmett looked up; couch musings interrupted by Harry's polite question.

"Your coven- what's it like?"

He paused a second to think about whether or not he should make something up or tell the truth, but ended up opening his mouth and having the truth tumble out. This sort of thing didn't used to happen to him around anyone but Rosalie.

"Well, there are seven of us, and we've been together as a coven for about…oh, I'd say close to a hundred years."

"Oh yeah? That's very impressive. You must be very close." Harry curled his legs up under himself and moved closer to the armrest of the couch he was sitting on, rubbing an open palm along the back of a small tabby kitten that had popped up out of nowhere.

"Mm-hm. Our leader's name is Carlisle and he and his wife Esme are personally responsible for most of us still being around today."

Harry nodded. "That sounds nice. Who else is in your coven?"

"There's me, Carlisle and Esme obviously, Jasper, Alice, Edward, and…Rosalie."

Oh god. Hopefully Harry wouldn't notice the way his voice had lingered on his ex-girlfriend's name. She had done so much for him over the years, listened to and loved him and he couldn't hide the emotion in his voice when he said her name.

"Is Rosalie your girlfriend?"

Shit. "Um, she was."

"Okay. Do you guys want anything to drink?"

Emmett didn't know whether to be relieved that Harry hadn't reacted very much to the news.

"Like what?"

"Water…oh, and I'm sure we have some bourbon around here someplace." Harry trailed off, obviously trying to remember where he had stashed the liquor. There were only a few places where he could have hid it out of Bert's sight- when it came to tracking down booze, Bert was like one of those trained police dogs that could find anything if given something to sniff first.

"Bourbon would be fine if you can find it." Bysshe spoke up, absently playing with his dyed hair.

"So you can still be affected by alcohol?"

"No, but I like the burn. If you find anything stronger, that would be welcome too. Did you want some too, Emmett?"

"No thank you. I didn't drink when I was mortal and I don't want to try now."

"That's okay." Harry smiled, "It's not for everyone."

"Neither are cigarettes." Bert announced out of the blue, entering the room balancing a pot almost half his size in his arms. They trembled under the weight, and harry rushed over to help him set it on the table set up on one side of the parlor. The actual dining room was the unofficial 'cat room' and they'd left the felines to their own territory too long to disturb them.

"What do cigarettes have to do with this?" Harry drawled, snatching the elusive bottle of bourbon out of his guardian's apron pocket. So that's what had become of it! It was considerably lighter than when he'd bought it, too.

"You know I don't like you smoking."

"Well, they make me happy and can't kill me thanks to my, how you say, 'special DNA', so I don't really care."

Bert sighed, imitating a put-upon old lady. "The young people today have no respect."

Bysshe snorted. "Tell me about it, man. This kid has quite mouth on him; don't take it personally when he starts talking about wrinkles and creaky bones."

Bert growled at Harry, making the teen recoil, startled. "Hey, I haven't said anything yet!"

"'Yet' being the operative word." Bert pointed out shrewdly, ladling out some of what turned out to be stew into Harry's bowl. "Now be a dear and bring the rabbits in here."

"Yes mom."

"Brat."

"Old fart."

"Now that is too far!"

Harry laughed, the sound muffled from the kitchen. He came back a moment later with the subdued rabbits, passing them out to the Vampires. "You don't have to eat them if you're not hungry. Consider them gifts."

"Thank you." Bysshe grinned, taking his two rabbits and subduing them with a quick squeeze to their necks.

"What he said." Emmett muttered, trying very hard to not look in the eye of his rabbits. He copied Bysshe, accidentally cracking their necks. Everyone winced, and Harry looked faintly amused despite the violent act.

"So Bysshe, are you in a coven or a solo operative? I don't remember if you said anything about it and sorry in advance if you did." He took a spoonful of his stew, wincing when it burned his tongue.

"I _did _have a coven but Helen kicked me out when I pranked her lover Julius. She says I can come back when I apologize, and thanks to my oh-so-helpful pride, that is never going to happen. This, by the way, is how I ended up a mercenary in the first place, in case you were wondering."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Bert suddenly broke in, setting down his water. "Helen _Winner?"_

"Yeah; do you know her or something?"

"Uh, hell yeah! She's the most dangerous unregistered female Vampire we know about. You wouldn't happen to be willing to introduce us so we can ask her some, ahem, questions?"

Bysshe paused in his examination of the contrast Harry's pale skin made with the blackened wood of the table. "That depends on what kind of questions and how much you're willing to pay me to apologize to her."

"I'll give you 200 Galleons."

"I'm in."

"Excellent."

"What kind of questions are you going to ask? I can tell you whether or not she'll answer so you don't have to nearly get yourself killed for nothing."

Emmett seemed to be observing this in a state of shock, and Harry picked up on that. Deciding that he should do what he would normally do to one of his friends if they were zoning out, he stretched out his socked foot under the table and lightly brushed it against Emmett's leg.

The older man stiffened eyes wide with surprise. Harry just quirked his lips, eyes soft and the golden light of the floor lamps scattered around the room creating a pattern of light and shadows on his young face.

It was more than a little breathtaking and Emmett felt some kind of foreign warmth surge through him. He swallowed and tried to look away, but looked back, locking their eyes.

Neither moved until Harry shifted his foot downwards, running it along his calf on his way back to his side of the table. Emmett found himself not wanting to let that happen, so he followed Harry's foot and gently stroked it with his own.

He got a swift smile for his efforts, and was permitted to keep it there throughout the rest of dinner while Bert explained to Bysshe that Helen had been present during several historical events they wanted more information on.

"Oh, then you won't have a problem. She loves to talk about her past and all the stuff she's seen over the years." He leaned forward conspiratorially, voice dropping several octaves. "Did you know that Minister Pierce in the 1700s was an Incubus?"

"No, I did not know that!"

"I don't blame you. The man never showed his real face for something other than 'childhood deformities'."

"Do you mind if I write that down?"

"Not at all." Bysshe waved a hand casually. "I think its time the, er, people learned more about Creatures and how they haven't been as separate from Humans as they think."

"Oh, absolutely. I'm all for equality."

"It's nice to hear that from a man in your job position."

Bert grinned. "I'm not the only one."

"I'd be happy to meet anyone of similar open-minded principles. My circle of human friends is pitifully small." He threw Harry a glance. "In more ways than one."

"Oi! Are you calling me small?"

"Oh yeah. And insignificant too now that I think about it." Bysshe chuckled deep in his throat and Harry tossed his flimsy napkin at him, missing by a wide range due to the floating nature of the thing.

Emmett growled, and everyone else went quiet, looking at him oddly. Feeling embarrassed now that he could see Bysshe was joking; he took an entirely unnecessary sip of water.

"Are you okay?" Bert asked tentatively, chasing down a wayward piece of potato in his almost-empty bowl.

Emmett nodded. "Yes, I just thought about something."

"Whatever it is, I feel sorry for it." Bysshe muttered.

An hour later Emmett said he had to go back to his coven soon, and was startled when both of the humans hugged him, although he didn't have the urge to grope Bert when the older man hugged him like he did when Harry did.

That boy would be the death of him and his self-control. He could practically _hear _Rosalie cackling and making all kinds of smart remarks about 'jail bait' and 'keeping it in his pants'.

She'd be dead-on, too, which was why he was dreading going home. He didn't know how she did it, but she always knew when he'd been misbehaving, and he was pretty sure that playing footsie with the 'target' under the table while the boy's guardian was sitting there was against some kind of social rule. It'd been worth it, though.

He smiled to himself, breaking into a sprint faster than the human eye could perceive, vanishing into the woods around Forks rapidly. The only witnesses to this was one of the kittens that had crawled onto the window sill of what had used to be their dining room, and Harry leaning out the gable in his room.

Harry sighed softly, brushing some hair behind his ear. There was something bothering Emmett, and if he had learned anything at Hogwarts, it had been that when someone he knew was bothered by something, whatever that something was would soon bother him too.

It was rather irritating, actually, but he was getting fond of Emmett even after their short acquaintance and didn't generally like it when people he liked were unhappy.

Something would have to be done about this.

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Emmett wrinkled his nose, smelling Rosalie's signature perfume (some outdated Chanel she had specially made since it wasn't manufactured anymore) practically coating his room. What the hell?!

Rosalie burst unexpectedly out of his closet, wearing a new dress, and holding a cake with his name and Harry's in icing, surrounded by a heart.

"Um…"

"Happy First Meeting!" Alice shrieked, also popping out of the closet unexpectedly, striking a pose next to his ex-girlfriend.

"Oh gods…don't tell me Esme is in there too-"

"Congratulations!" she came striding out with far more dignity than the two younger women, giving him a hug before he could protest. This image was ruined when she twirled right before hugging one of his arms.

"What's the big deal anyway? And whose idea was the cake?"

Alice shrugged. "Carlisle sent my Jasper to get a second perspective on this Harry guy and saw you two getting all cozy at a coffee shop. Oh, and the cake was my idea."

Emmett looked from one face to another, feeling more than a little overwhelmed. Feeling this way about a virtual stranger was enough without this extra bizarre behavior from his nearest and dearest piled on top like very heavy icing.

"Did you guys have caffeine of some kind?"

"Nope." Alice chirped, bouncing slightly, her hair swaying.

"Then what the hell is wrong with you guys? Buying him coffee doesn't mean we're getting married!"

He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. If there was one thing the Cullen women loved, it was weddings. He didn't know why, and had had several very deep manly conversations with Edward on the theory of it all. Unfortunately, Edward didn't know anymore than he did even if he could read their minds.

"Oh, goodness, can you imagine?" Esme sighed; hand over her still heart as though it were beating fast. Rosalie made a faint squealing noise, quivering with excitement. It was kind of horrifying to watch a woman who looked like she did acting like a comparatively mature seven-year-old with a pile of craft paper on Valentine's Day.

"Stab me with a stake." Emmett grumbled, deciding that ignoring them at this point would be the best solution to the problem. He tugged off his shirt, kicking off his shoes and heading for the bathroom. He needed a shower and goddammit, he was going to take one, females present or otherwise!

"Ah, to think that body is denied me." Rosalie dramatically announced, drawing attention to his attempts to open the glass shower door. It was jammed.

Clearly, this hotel was under some kind of curse.

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End chapter 11

Sorry it's shorter than usual. Am very busy studying lately, and have been scoring higher on tests thanks to it :D Now aren't you all pleased that I decided to share that irrelevant piece of my personal life with you? You should be.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thanks to all of my beloved readers, this is the first story I have posted on here to reach 300 reviews! Thanks so much; you've made me a very happy girl (although the coffee also might have something to do with the excessive exclamation marks…)

CHAPTER 12

Monday dawned blindingly bright, and Harry groaned, pulling his covers over his head and burrowing deep into his cocoon of warmth like a slug. His mind, already half-unconscious, slipped back into sleep, effortlessly drowning out Bert's calls for him to get his ass downstairs if he wanted any coffee.

Half an hour later Bert came storming up the stairs, took one look at the mountain of blankets, and tiptoed over to the bed, cautiously making sure Harry was still asleep before flipping up the edge of the blanket covering the mattress. He gripped it tightly before jerking it up and over the iron framework supporting it, resulting in a tangled mess on the hardwood floor.

There was a low moan from the blankets, and then an instant later Bert found himself tackled to the floor with a wand pointing between his eyes.

"Whoa, down tiger! It's just me!"

"Huh?" Harry mumbled, voice thick with sleep, eyes glazed. They began to clear and he seemed to realize where he was and who he was sitting on. "Oh! Goodness, I didn't mean to attack you, you just startled me. Please try not to do that again."

"Not a problem."

"Did you save me any coffee?"

"Yeah, although lord knows I didn't have to. I didn't fall asleep until three last night."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Thanks, and what kept you up? It didn't have anything to do with me, did it?"

"No, I was just excited about meeting Helen Winner."

"Why don't you tell me why she's so special over coffee? I need to get myself together if I don't want to miss school completely."

"Oh, right, school."

"Yep. Now get out! I'm not stripping for you!"

Bert pretended to mope, slouching out of Harry's room as slowly as he was able to until Harry kicked him in the back of the leg, effectively knocking him down.

"Come on, get out!"

"I'm going!"

A few minutes later Harry came downstairs dressed in his new sweater and a pair of recently re-sized and mended jeans. He probably would have fit in more if he'd left the rips gained through sliding along jagged rock floors intact, though.

He helped himself to the coffee, not bothering to sweeten like he normally would have, downing it in one gulp.

"So who is Helen Winner?"

"She's the proverbial 'one that got away'. We first found out about her about 200 years ago, and have been trying to get an interview ever since, but she's not an easy lady to track down. Your friend Bysshe is quite possibly the most helpful person we've come across regarding the hunt for her." Bert paused to send Harry a blinding smile. "By the way, how did you meet the leech?"

"Leech?"

"Don't change the subject, kid."

Harry sighed, finishing the last of his coffee. "He was hired by Death Eaters, what's left of them that is, to track me down and snuff my pathetic little life. He found me much faster than they had thought, and decided not to kill me."

"Why?"

He shrugged helplessly. "I don't really know, to be honest. When I asked he just told me some cheesy bullshit about me reminding him of someone he knew."

"He might not have been lying."

"True, but I still don't know his true motives so I'm not quite extending the olive branch of friendship."

"You two seemed pretty friendly last night."

"What can I say? He's a nice guy, if a little greasy around the edges."

"Heh, I like that. Greasy."

Harry set the empty mug in the sink, crossing the kitchen to rescue one of the adventurous kittens from its perch atop their new fridge.

"Try to behave yourself while I'm gone."

"Yes, sir!" Bert snapped a salute, grinning and ruffling Harry's hair before the teenager could escape out the door with his heavy school bag.

"Damn it! I made an effort with it today!"

"Sorry! I couldn't tell!" Bert yelled from the porch at his retreating back, laughing when Harry flipped him off over his shoulder. He could see puffs of smoke rising above his head as he walked away and shook his own, sighing. Maybe he should start leaving pamphlets about the dangers of smoking around the house? Hell, it probably wouldn't matter either way. From what he'd picked up, Harry had a will of iron and a backbone of something stronger than titanium since once he had made up his mind, it was made up.

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"So did you get that job?" Bella asked as they walked out the doors, a long day of aggravating pop quizzes and shoving through crowds of pushy teenagers safely behind them.

"Yeah." He replied, recalling his amusement at the librarian's grudging acceptance of him as their newest employee. "I start Wednesday."

"That's great!" She grinned, impulsively hugging him.

He grunted, cheek squashed against the strap of her purse, the buckle digging into his forehead. Now, if he was taller, he wouldn't have this problem. Thankfully, he was only sixteen and according to health studies he still had some growth spurts left.

"Yeah, it really is." He sighed when her grip loosened. Judging from the look on her face, there was a red imprint in the shape of her buckle in the middle of his forehead. Great, now his scar had competition for weirdest thing on his face.

"What happened to your face, man?" Mike suddenly asked, a veneer of concern masking his happiness at seeing Harry with some kind of injury.

"Oh, you know how Bella hugs." Harry sniped back, a massive and very fake grin on his face.

Mike took a subconscious step back. There was just something scary about that smile and the way the fluorescent lights were glinting off of Harry's eyes. He'd never noticed how _green _they were before now.

He was pretty sure he'd never seen that shade of the color before.

"Did I do that to you?" Bella asked, rubbing the spot with her thumb.

Harry was uncomfortably reminded of Mrs. Weasley, which snapped him out of his glaring contest with Mike, not that Mike had been putting up much of a fight. What a typical wuss.

"Don't worry about it. It doesn't hurt or anything."

"I still feel bad." Bella bit her lip, shifting in place. Jessica came flouncing over to them at that opportune moment, Angela following at a much slower pace, her willowy grace letting her slip through the crowds of students much easier.

"Hey guys!"

"Hey Jessica." Bella murmured, sliding closer to Harry for some reason. Considering how sharp the other girl's nails were and the looks she was sending between Bella and Mike, Harry didn't blame Bella for wanting to put some distance between them.

"So are you guys going someplace now? I don't feel like going home."

"But you have a biology paper to write." Angela softly pointed out, adjusting her glasses.

"I'll deal with that later." Jessica carelessly waved a hand, almost hitting Ben in the face. "Come on, let's go get some coffee!"

Everyone decided that this was a viable plan of action, and so Harry ended up getting dragged to the self-same coffee shop he'd tried out yesterday with Emmett. He picked a table out after ordering some kind of fancy drink with whipped cream on top. He didn't know what had possessed him to order a drink that might raise his blood pressure to fatal heights, but there he was: a sugary drink and a table close to a window streaked with rain.

The perfect recipe for depression mixed with manic energy.

Once every was settled down, Harry found himself sitting between Bella and Ben, who were talking over his head, which was an aggravating reminded of his height. The drink had turned out to be not as bad as he was expecting, since apparently 'mocha' meant chocolate mixed with coffee, so he wasn't too upset about it.

"Well fancy meeting you here." Someone suddenly drawled behind his head, and he whipped around, gaping at Bysshe.

The Vampire just grinned, taking a sip of his coffee that Harry knew had no nutritional value for the man. Knowing him, he probably just liked the smell of it.

"What the hell are you doing here, Bysshe? Is it not enough that I fed you last night?"

"Of course it's not enough." Bysshe smoothly grabbed a chair and wedged himself between Ben and Harry, wrapping an arm around Harry's shoulders and pulling him into a one-armed hug.

Everyone else at the table was quiet, wondering who the hell this guy was and why he was hugging Harry.

"Is this your uncle, Harry?" Jessica asked, a polite smile hovering on her overly-glossed lips.

"Um, no. this is a friend…sort of."

"Hello miss!" He reached across and shook her hand, smiling back but not showing his sparkling teeth. "I'm Bysshe Ibsen, and I believe I met Harry soon after he arrived in this gorgeous little town."

"Oh…"

She didn't look like she knew how to react. "Well, it's nice to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise. Have you got a boyfriend?"

"What?!"

Harry slapped his cheek without hesitation, taking a long sip of his mocha immediately afterwards. "Bysshe, that was very naughty of you. Apologize."

"I'm sorry from the bottom of my empty, lonely heart." Bysshe dramatically exclaimed, looking very much like he would love to make hand motions but was incapacitated by Harry's iron grip on his forearm.

"Um, its okay? I thought it was kind of funny, to be honest."

Uneasy chuckles broke out around the table, and Harry's grip loosened. Bysshe rubbed his arm resentfully, sending Harry a wounded look that was wasted since Harry had decided that pushing about packets of sugar on the tabletop was more fun than talking.

"So what do you do for a living, Bysshe?"

"I'm between jobs right now, but I suppose you could say I'm a babysitter."

"Oh?"

"I keep an eye on Harry."

Harry banged his forehead on the table.

"Why?" Mike asked, looking at Harry with interest, most likely future imaginary humiliating comments he could make flitting behind his eyes.

"Because I get bored, and Harry lets me bum cigarettes."

Mike looked disappointed.

"Speaking of which, can I have one now?"

Harry snorted. "After that little speech of yours? I don't bloody think so. Go buy some, asshole."

"Your cruelty truly does have no bounds." Bysshe mourned, finishing off his coffee and rolling the empty cup between his hands, picking up the pace until it was practically a blur.

"Well, I'm going home now…so…bye!" Jessica stood, grabbing her purse and Mike's hand in one fell swoop, obviously wanting to escape the new weird addition to their gathering. Why did Harry Potter have such a strange friend? Harry himself was bad enough, but this new guy was almost scary.

And was it just her, or were his eyes nearly red?

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"So when do we get to meet him?" Esme asked, needle moving rapidly through her embroidery, the pattern of a daffodil forming far quicker than a normal human was capable of. Carlisle sat nearby reading a medical paper in German, seemingly engrossed in some new research article about the appendix.

"That depends on when you want to give him a heart attack."

"But you said he had another Vampire there with you!"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he wants to meet an entire coven all at once."

Esme sighed, frustration making her movements jerkier than usual. "I didn't say that we all had to go at once."

"We never plan to all go together but somehow it always happens. If I want to take you or Carlisle, the other will of course tag along. And then Alice wants to go to everything, which means Jasper would come too, and Rosalie has the right to meet him for reasons that I refuse to go over again. And so this means that the only person who wouldn't be there would be Edward, and that's only because he's off hunting that Victoria woman for 'vengeance'." He scrubbed a large hand through his short hair. "Speaking of which, Bella is looking downright depressed these days. When are we going to get Edward to at least call her?"

"That is not our business." Carlisle spoke up. "Edward needs to do what he thinks is best. This is his first relationship and he's bound to make some mistakes, but if we never make mistakes, we never improve."

Emmett grumbled under his breath, folding his arms and glaring out the window. Why did everything Carlisle say have to make so much sense?! It was downright unfair.

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End chapter 12

Gah! This one is a _lot _shorter! (sobs) sorry!

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	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Because I'm feeling chatty tonight, I've decided to give you guys a quick overview of how I write. Almost every evening, since I hate crowds and therefore do not go out very often at night when everybody else is about, I sit down as early as I'm able and start writing the chapter. I get waylaid lots with projects, books, friends, and sometimes films, but I mostly spend the time writing. The chapter gets a quick proof-read from me (and since it's quite late by then, some mistakes do sneak through), and then I go off to do whatever interests me until I pass out. The results are posted the next morning as soon as I get my ass out of bed. And there you have it.

CHAPTER 13

When he thought about it, Harry supposed that going from Savior of the World to humble librarian-in-training was quite a career jump. He shrugged it off, consulting the laminated guide sheet before slipping a book into its place on the shelf. It was his first day, and he had already gotten the approval of the few co-workers he'd run across so far due to his fast learning style and so far not making any mistakes. Apparently they used the same organizational system here that they did in the Hogwarts library, which made all of those countless sunny afternoons spent amongst the dusty shelves keeping Hermione company while everyone else played outside invaluable. Hermione would be proud to know that he had learned _something _while in the library.

Speaking of Hermione, Ron's last letter said that her consciousness levels were steadily rising. Whatever danger she was in, she was past it now and her body was simply recovering, more asleep than comatose. She was due to wake up within the month, which was enough to make him walk around with a noticeable spring in his step.

He'd done a little dance in the privacy of his own room when he'd come home from school and read that, spirits swelling upwards for the first time in quite a while. Sure, he had experienced little flashes of good humor since he'd arrived in Forks, but overall he'd been morbidly depressed. There was nothing like having someone you equated as your right hand in a coma to bring you down.

And to add very thick and delicious icing to his 'happy cake', Ron was coming for a short visit! It had taken excessive wheedling and a reduction of the visit time from a week to three days, but he'd managed to convince Ron that the likelihood of Hermione awakening the split second he left was very low.

His cart was swiftly emptying as he moved through the shelves, stuffing a book into its spot whenever he reached it. He passed a few kids he'd seen in the halls of Forks High School, and acknowledged them, but overall there weren't many people frequenting the library at the moment.

The geezers from the first time he'd been here were standing by the New Releases shelves, in the Romance section, and a muffled laugh caught his ears every now and then when they came across a cover picture with a particularly scandalously-clad woman on it. Harry really couldn't find the appeal in all of that make-up and airbrushing.

He had an hour left on his shift, and it passed with frightening speed despite Harry's conviction that he had done more work in his three-hour shift than the other librarians combined. It might be because he was younger then them all by at least 40 years, which made his energy levels significantly higher.

Once he was done, he let the office know he was leaving, and began the long trudge home in the dark. It was, of course, raining and he was soaked to the bone quickly despite his raincoat and umbrella. The wind was pretty powerful, and most of the trees he passed creaked ominously, as if to warn him.

It was all very creepy, and he was happy when he ascended the porch steps, greeted with a hiss from the mother cat for dripping water on her, which they'd never gotten around to naming. Nor had they bothered to keep the names they'd given the kittens straight, instead referring to them by whatever name rolled off their tongue first. Thusly, the kittens had a combined name of Fluffy-Scary-Sneaky. And there was the runt, whom they called Idiot more affectionately than with any amount of ire because it was partially blind and always knocking into things.

There were 7 kittens…or they were pretty sure there were 7. It was hard to tell after dipping into the vodka supplies.

Anyways, Ron was to arrive at 10 tonight and stay until noon on Saturday, making it approximately 3 days for them to hang out together and get up to all kinds of trouble, as teenaged boys generally do.

Bert was in the kitchen, curiously sniffing a cabbage before shrugging and starting to peel the leaves off and rinsing them.

"Do you want help with that?" he asked, dumping his bag on the bench they'd bought at a sale a few days ago. It had belonged to an elderly couple, but the man had died and the wife wanted to move and was desperate to get rid of her old furniture. The bench was sturdy enough, and half of it was already covered with old Wizarding newspapers that were part of some long-distance work project of Bert's.

"Sure; go find the carrots. I can't remember where I put them- I think they might be in the cellar."

Harry blinked. "We have a cellar?"

Bert paused, furrowed his eyebrows, and looked towards the ceiling. "Um, I think we do. Anyway, go find it."

Rolling his eyes, Harry did a sweep of the house, locating a previously-unnoticed door inside a closet. It stuck a little when he pulled on it, but came free at last. The choking scent of dead air floated up from it, mixed with mold and something not unlike rotting-

Well, he wasn't going to go down that mental path right now.

Groping along the wall frame until he found the light switch, he flicked it and blinked when some very bright lights bloomed to life down the stairwell. The steps were littered with old garbage and beer bottles, bits of broken glass here and there from where presumably the garbage stacks had fallen over.

He went back to get his shoes, letting Bert know that they did, in fact, have a cellar, and he was damned sure there were no carrots in it but it needed a good batch of cleaning spells.

"Have fun with that. I'll call you when dinner or your friend comes. Whichever happens first."

"Okay, thanks."

"Off you trot."

The cellar, or basement, rather, was as filthy as he'd been expecting and it took a lot of banishing spells to deal with all the accumulated garbage. It started to smell a lot better once he'd gotten rid of the more…organic-looking varieties. The walls would need some heavy cleaning spells and some bleaching to kill whatever might come through it again, and Harry wrote a reminder on his arm to look up the really powerful spells later.

For now, he focused on getting rid of the dust and everything else that looked dirty, broken, or like it housed rats. Ever since Pettigrew, and even after he'd personally ripped his throat out with his bare hands, he'd fucking hated rats.

What was left after his banishing was a bare space interspersed here and there with antique sofas (the kind with wooden frames that dug into all your sensitive bits and then the back of your skull on top of it), and a veritable patchwork of old rugs. They were in relative good condition and might have been expensive way back in the day, if one liked things like hunting scenes, some of which featured bloody corpses, on one's floors.

Blasting the nearest, and least uncomfortable-looking, couch with a cleaning spell, Harry sank into it, staring about himself with something akin to boredom. Despite the initial creepy feeling he'd gotten from it, the basement was rather boring. No cabinets, no work stations littered with suspiciously medical-like instruments stained with old blood, and no ghostly whispers.

It was quiet, and smelled like old dog.

Despite the lighting on the stairway, the majority of the basement was dimly lit, which prevented Harry from noticing the human-shaped shadow standing in the corner beside his sofa.

It began to creep forward slowly, feet silent and hand gripping the handle of its weapon tight enough for the knuckles to drain of blood and jut from the skin.

Harry's neck prickled, and he leapt to his feet the moment he felt the air shift beside him. His wand was in his hand before he could process what was going on, and he fired a stunner, hitting the cloaked figure square in the chest.

They dropped like a rock, hood falling back to reveal the features of Rabastan Lestrange, the scars Harry gave him during their last meeting twisting the skin covering his cheeks, nose, and chin like a jig-saw puzzle. It was disgusting, and he smelled of unwashed human and the yellow pus that oozed from unattended wounds.

Tentatively nudging him with the toe of his sneaker, wand at the ready, Harry ascertained that he was out cold before placing binding charms on him and summoning some heavy-duty rope. Charms were very fine and good, but sometimes the Muggle way was the most effective.

Breathing deeply through his nose to hold off the panic attack trying to bubble out of his throat, he did a thermal check to see if there was anything else alive down there with him. The only thing that came up was a small family of mice that he summoned into an intact glass bottle for the cats to munch on later.

He did not know how Rabastan had found him, but he did know that the last time he had had anything to do with the other Death Eaters was before the death of his wife. After that, he'd gone very mad and broken all ties with everyone else, preserving himself as a solo officer of revenge… except that he'd been caught three weeks afterwards, tossed in Azkaban, and left there to rot.

It would seem that the walls of the ancient prison were as fragile as ever.

He inhaled a bit of extra-dead air and began to choke slightly; moving slowly up the stairs with the ex-Death Eater's floating body behind him. Returning to the well-lit upper floor was like stepping back into reality, away from the dead stillness of the basement, and he could hear Bert humming a polka of some kind, occasionally singing the words in Russian.

"Um, Bertie?"

"Hm?" He turned around, in the process of peeling a carrot (he must have found them while Harry was cleaning). He dropped both carrot and peeler when he saw Harry standing there, slightly disheveled and breathing heavily, a floating corpse behind him.

"Harry, what is that?"

"That," Harry wheezed, the panic really fighting to take precedence over his rationality, "is a very dangerous man who should not have found me. I thought this was the bloody witness _protection _program!"

"Harry, calm down-"

"No, goddammit, I won't! How did Rabastan Lestrange find me, huh? How did Bysshe? What, am I going to wake up one morning to find the entire Daily Prophet camped out on the front lawn?!"

"The program isn't perfect, Harry, but I can assure you that this is probably just a fluke."

"A fluke? A fucking _fluke?"_

"Harry-"

"I was almost killed! And that is the last thing Ron needs right now, what with Hermione in the hospital and everyone else we're close to far away."

"If it will make you feel better, I will have someone check your cloaking spells back at the Ministry, to make sure they are still being suppressed properly. Now why don't you set him on the couch, and I'll firecall someone to come get him?"

Harry nodded shakily, deciding that letting go of his anger right now would be the healthiest and most productive choice. Pre-war Harry would have continued to scream and bitch and moan, but now he knew that taking action and getting past the initial emotional reaction was the only way to move forward in life.

Guiding the body without much care (hopefully he would give him a concussion if he bashed him against something) into the living room, he picked the rattiest couch that none of them really used to keep him for now.

His eyes were crazed and moved rapidly around the room. Deciding that it was disturbing his stomach, Harry looked around for something-

Ah. A curtain pull was by the window, and it would serve nicely as a blindfold. His suspicions proved correct, and he even tied a little bow on the side of his head, merely for the sake of irreverence.

"Harry, why don't you come back into the kitchen? I need you to work on the salad."

"Okay!" He called, smoothing down his front and leaving alert wards around the premises of the couch to let him know if Rabastan moved. And if he did so much as twitch a finger, he'd find himself dead.

And nobody would say anything against him for doing it, neither.

Dinner was subdued, and Bert made no move to talk to Harry, understanding that doing so might set him off again. Harry wasn't technically a war hero for no reason, after all, and nobody even _wanted _to know what had happened that one time Harry went solo into the remains of Nurmengard and came out alive, leaving two thirds totals of the Death Eaters dead.

"Its good." Harry murmured, picking up his bowl with both hands and drinking the broth.

Bert smiled faintly. "Thanks. How…how was work today?"

They hadn't really made small talk before, so it felt painfully awkward to start now after living together for more than a week.

"It was interesting. I like working there so far, although my co-workers are all ancient. What did you do while I was gone?"

"Worked." Bert shrugged. "Tried a new kind of tea this afternoon, jasmine or something. An old girlfriend sent it to me for Christmas, and I guess I forgot I had it."

Harry sniggered. "You have girlfriends?"

"Oh, shut up, you brat! I'm not that old!"

"I'll believe it when I can see you walk upright-"

Bert reached over and lightly smacked him upside the head, grinning when Harry play-snarled. "You'd better believe that everything on me is still in working order. Us Unspeakables aren't allowed to get rusty in our old age like other Ministry workers. Once we can't take down one of those young Aurors full of vim and what-not, we're quietly handed a nice little slip o' paper with our notice on it."

"Ouch. It's a tough world."

"Yeah, and someday you'll understand that even more than you do now."

Harry hummed and nodded, drinking the rest of his soup and helping himself to the salad. "Your cooking has gotten better."

"Thanks."

Ron chooses that moment to come hurtling out of the space-time continuum via Portkey, falling flat on his back in the middle of the carpeted section of the living room. He groaned, sitting up and holding his head in his hands, trying to take some of the pain away by rubbing his skull.

"Ron!" Harry laughed, somber mood gone and a grin the size of…well, something big anyway, stretching his cheeks. "It's about time!"

"Ugh, get off me!" Ron pretended to complain, but that would have been quite impossible since Harry was the one currently pinned to the carpet, an annoyed cat sitting nearby with its tail swishing.

"I love you too." Harry sighed, hugging Ron's shoulders tight enough to make his elbows creak.

"So, where is this guy you're living with?"

"Over here." Bert stood, coming over to shake Ron's hand. "It's an honor to meet you."

"Oh gosh…" Ron ran his free hand through his red hair, which was looking longer and brighter than usual, ears bright red. It brought back a lot of memories for Harry of their school days, and he sighed quietly. Ron seemed to have caught sight of Lestrange at last, since he suddenly started sputtering and pointing in the stunned man's direction.

"Ah yes…about that…" Harry shuffled from foot to foot. How did one explain the situation?

And of course, in the great karmic scheme of things, the doorbell decided to ring just then.

000000

End chapter 13

Sorry I missed a day. Was researching 


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: since I love regaling you with snippets of my personal life, I've just started watching SKINS (the original) and it's brilliant. I recommend it to anyone who likes that sort of thing. Oh, and sorry for missing a day again. The thing wouldn't let me upload. On a far more important note, I am going out of town. Will be back on…um…March 1st, I think. See you all then!

CHAPTER 14

Everyone froze, no one making a move to deal with whoever was at the door. Ron started to shake a little, his hand clammy in Harry's grasp. Mind snapping out of its shock at last, Harry hissed, "Hide the body, Bert! We've got company!"

Bert nodded, hefting Rabastan's emaciated body without too much effort and heading for the nearest closet. He opened it with an elbow, Ron rushing over to help him while Harry walked slowly towards the door. Thank god for it not being the kind with a window in the middle of it, trough which whoever was visiting at nine o'clock at night could see everything they were up to.

For some reason he was sure that stuffing a man wearing classic cult robes into a closet wouldn't make a very good impression.

Glancing over his shoulder and getting the thumbs-up from Ron, who was sitting in an overly-casual position on the couch next to Bert, Harry cautiously turned the handle of the door just as they rang again.

It opened to reveal a very startled Emmett, who was flanked by two blonde guys and…and several women. Harry stared a moment, and then the manners his aunt Petunia pounded into his tender mind from a frightfully young age kicked in like old instincts. He smiled and stood to the side.

"Won't you come in?"

"Thanks." Emmett muttered, looking unbelievably embarrassed. He brushed past Harry as he went, and a look akin to pain crossed his features. Something dawned inside Harry, and his face started to heat up.

The older-looking blonde man paused inside the door, asking kindly, "You're flushed. Are you alright?"

He coughed, fiddling with his fringe like he hadn't done since he was in Hogwarts. "Uh, yeah. It's just a bit warm in here."

"No it isn't." Chirped a pixie-faced girl with very interesting hair as she pranced past him. He looked after her in puzzlement, and therefore escaping the warning signs of the blond woman bringing up the rear. He jumped when her freezing hand suddenly trailed along his jaw. She smiled and winked.

It was more unnerving than flirtatious. He got the distinct impression that she was not the sort to do that often.

"Just go into the parlor that way." He gestured towards the living room broadly, where Bert and Ron were standing and smiling shakily at the newcomers.

"Harry, you didn't tell me we were having more guests." Bert politely mentioned, folding his hands in his lap so primly he could have been mistaken for an old lady if he were wearing a wig.

"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Emmett suddenly asked, looking more than a little horrified.

"He who?"

"I told your friend Bysshe to ask if I could bring some people to meet you, and he said he asked and you said yes."

"Fuck."

"Um…should we leave?"

"No, no you can stay. I just…I'm going to kill him!" He growled, clenching his fist. The rage from before was starting to curl up like black smoke in his throat, trying to choke him. If he hadn't been the sort to have 'icy' rage, the kind that clears the mind rather than clouds it, he probably would have done something stupid instead of noticing how the younger male Vampire, the one with blonde hair holding the hand of the pixie girl, was obviously exerting some kind of control of the emotions in the room. Calm that was not his own flowed through him like a stream, and he found himself smiling pleasantly.

"Why don't you sit down, make yourselves comfortable?"

"If you're absolutely sure you don't mind?"

"Not at all!" Harry waved a hand, smiling widely at the blonde guy, who he was pretty sure was an empathic entity of some kind. "Now, why don't you introduce yourselves?"

"I'm Carlisle, and this is my wife Esme. I'm Emmett's guardian, or rather, I was until he came of age." He smiled back, teeth glinting.

"So you're the coven leader?"

"Coven?" Ron muttered, sending Harry a wide-eyed look. He seemed to realize what was going on and groaned. "God, Harry! You can't keep your nose out of trouble for two bloody weeks, can you?"

Harry laughed against his will, shaking his head and bumping his shoulder against Ron's. "Oh you know me, Ron. If I'm not in the thick of it, I go mad."

"I can understand _that, _but why Vampires? And this many all at once!"

"I wasn't expecting this many!"

"If I might interrupt?" Carlisle softly asked, eyes very wide.

"Sure, speak on." Harry giggled. "Sorry to have been rude."

"No, its fine. I was just wondering how you knew we were Vampires."

"Because…well, because that's what you are. Vampires look human-ish, but I can always tell the signs. I've been trained, you know."

Ron piped up, "Yeah, Harry was top of our Defense Against the Dark Arts before he had to leave school."

"What's that?" The pixie asked, squeezing the knee of the younger blonde vampire. "Oh, and I'm Alice and this is my boyfriend Jasper."

"Nice to meet you. And what's what?"

"A defense against what-sits?"

"Oh, uh…"

He stomped on Ron's foot. Now what, dammit? The truth, he supposed. After all, Muggle Vampires or not, they still relied on magic to keep moving now, so they might as well know. And it wasn't like he couldn't pay the fees for revealing it to them. But…he could still lie by omission.

"It's a class that I used to take."

"Oh."

The closet rattled, and Bert caught his breath before realizing it was the wrong one. Getting up, he opened it and found Idiot inside. He or she mewled plaintively, rubbing its head against Bert's leg.

"We must have missed Idiot when we were feeding them." He muttered, picking up the small cat and heading for the kitchen. "I'll be right back, as soon as I've sorted Idiot here."

"Alright." Harry murmured, turning his attention back on his new guests. "So Emmett tells me you've been a coven for almost or around a 100 years by now. How does that scale up on the average amount of time covens last?"

Esme recovered first. "We're very young still, for a coven. Sort of the early teens."

"Okay, cool."

Emmett shifted, looking over at Harry. He'd wanted to sit next to him, but his new redheaded buddy was there. Words could not describe how much he wanted to be where that Ron person was, pressed against Harry's very warm, very firm side.

He chewed his lip, glancing uneasily around before remembering that Edward wasn't with them and therefore couldn't read his increasingly perverted thoughts.

"How do you guys know Harry?" Ron asked, directing his question to Rosalie.

"I've never seen him before in my life, but Emmett here met him a few days ago. Stopped by for dinner too, and made an effort to introduce the rest of us properly, but apparently whoever Harry's other friend is, he's unreliable."

"And a twisted bastard all around, too."

Ron snorted. "Sounds like Malfoy."

"Oh come on! He's not that bad! After all, his mum did keep her mouth shut when I was 'dead'." When Ron opened his mouth to protest, Harry over-rode him. "During which, by the way, you had made a run for it."

"I was getting Ginny out of the-"

"History class."

Ron's eyes went huge. "Oh wow. Oh my god. They're not- I mean, are they…?"

"No, Ron, they aren't. They're the Muggle kind and somehow nobody of our type has come across to throw the ice water on 'em. I don't mean to be the first if I can avoid it."

"Er, what is Muggle?" Jasper spoke for the first time, his voice much higher-pitched than Harry was expecting. It was still pleasant, though, so he smiled at him.

"Its just a little word we've made up for people who don't have 'special' genes."

"But…he doesn't smell as good as you do." Emmett said, taking this as an excuse to sniff Harry.

"But he doesn't smell normal, does he?" Harry replied, accepting the mug of tea Bert brought back with him from the kitchen.

Ron nearly dropped his, but recovered himself and blew on it. "You're calling it 'special'?"

"Yeah. It was Bert's idea, so don't look at me like that. I think it's kind of ironic, actually."

"And it sounds funny."

"How do you two know each other?" Alice asked, one leg bouncing spastically.

She was an uncomfortable reminder of Luna in that moment, that one movement jarring loose dozens and dozens of memories in both of their minds. Ron's eyes actually teared slightly and Harry squeezed his hand, ignoring the girly way it must have looked.

Emmett's eyes darkened, and a strange smile suddenly spread across Alice's face, like she'd just thought of something amusing or inappropriate.

"We've been best mates since we was…eleven. Yeah. Had a few spats here and there over the years, the usual Christmas tiffs and all, but overall we've stuck together."

"Like glue."

"Or spit."

"Or used gum."

They nodded simultaneously, unconsciously mimicking the Twins.

"I didn't know you two were friends since first year." Bert noted, absently stirring his tea with his finger.

"Oh yeah, since the very start."

"We met on the bloody train and everything."

The doorbell rang again and there was general confusion as to who would answer it. Groaning, Harry stood. "Fine, dammit! I'll get it."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Ron asked playfully, getting a swat to the head for his trouble. "Oi! Easy on the hair! Unlike yours, mine can be styled."

"Shut it Ron, before that tongue of yours goes missing."

"Ooh, would you feed it to the cats?"

"I just might. Now let me get that door before whoever it is breaks it down."

"I smell another of our kind. Perhaps one of us should accompany you-" Carlisle tried to suggest, but stopped when Harry grinned ferociously.

"Then this means its time for Bysshe to meet his maker."

The door was jerked open, a cloud of smoke coming inside and enveloping Harry's head briefly. Through it he could see the faint red glow of Bysshe's eyes, and used that as a guide for where to punch.

"Ow! Fuck, Harry! What the hell was that for?"

"For inviting unexpected dinner guests, you wanker. Unless there's something else you've done…"

"No! I mean, no. I was just coming over to warn you."

Harry gestured towards the veritable crowd of Vampires congregated on his living room couches. "It's a little late for that."

"Oh. Well, damn me."

"I believe that's already been done." Ron pointed out, since they had moved close enough for him to overhear their conversation. "According to the really old records on your particular breed, which I am judging by your eye color, you're half demon and half-ghost. Neither of those is likely to be heaven bound, I'm afraid."

"That makes me feel loads better about my post-staking options, young man."

"My name's Ron and I are very sorry for you too."

"Lovely. And you lot must be the Cullens."

"You're British as well?"

Bysshe laughed. "We like to travel in groups too, you know."

Harry nudged him. "Be nice, dammit."

"What's with the excessive swearing tonight? Its not that I mind, I'm just curious."

"Well, I was in a good mood, and then shit happened and ruined my good mood."

Bysshe just looked at him, inhaled on his cigarette, and blew smoke in his face. "Is there any way you could flesh that out more? Like, a few details?"

"I'll tell you later. Let me introduce you proper." Clearing his throat, he caught the attention of anyone not currently ogling Bysshe's decision to wear leather trousers, even though they were perfectly acceptable dragon-hunting gear. To Muggles they must have looked quite odd. "Everyone, this is Bysshe Ibsen, the prat responsible for this mess. Not that I mind the mess, of course. You're all lovely."

"Your eyes are red." Alice gasped.

Bert cleared his throat to break the sudden silence.

0000000

End chapter 14

Sorry about it being a weird chapter. I think I have a fever.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: my fears regarding the possibility of a fever turned out to be right- I spent the entirety of my trip with a temperature of 102 degrees. It was hell, but I think I performed well despite it all. Oh, and sorry for not replying to some of the reviews for chapter 14, but I'm still sick and there were too many for me to handle. I did read all of them, and appreciate everyone who takes the time to tell me what they think. Hooray for 500+!

CHAPTER 15

A semi-awkward hour later, during which Harry's spine stiffened every time one of his guests suspiciously sniffed the side of the room containing the unconscious body, the Cullens prepared to take their leave.

"It was very nice meeting all of you." Carlisle smiled, shaking Bert's hand and nodding to Harry, who smiled. Emmett was just behind him, hand raised to tap his shoulder. Harry turned to him before he had to, though, and Emmett bent his head to whisper something in his ear.

Everyone went quiet, trying to catch what he was saying, so Harry flipped them off with an annoyed frown. When Emmett leaned back, he sighed. "Honestly, you're all a bunch of school children! And of course I will, Emmett."

"Of course you'll what?" Rosalie spoke for the first time, large lips twisted into a very devious smirk. Harry and Emmett both shivered at the sight of it, Harry from danger instincts and Emmett from decades of experience. That was the self-same look she'd given him right before cheerfully informing that she'd signed him up for the Marines, while dragging him to bridal stores, and when she wanted the shower first and didn't care what she had to do to kick him out.

"Nothing."

"Fine." She surprised everyone by hugging Harry, flicking his nose, and heading straight out the door. Alice winked knowingly at them before following her, Jasper in tow. Everyone else filed quietly out after that little display, and Harry wondered why Carlisle was obviously hiding a frown.

Emmett was the last to leave, eyes lingering on Harry for much longer than could be explained away easily. Ron nudged him playfully once he was gone.

"Someone has an admirer."

"I noticed that too." Harry responded absently, gnawing on one of his knuckles.

Bert smacked his hand away when he saw what he was doing. "Don't do that! You'll mess up your hands!"

"But they're already messed up!"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Now that I'm assuming its safe to do so, why don't we sort out that unexpected threat to our livelihood?"

"Oh…yeah. what were we going to do with him again?"

"Kill him?" Bysshe suggested, looking a little _too _eager about the possibility.

"I think not." Bert hastily replied, subtly moving his body between the Vampire and the closet door. "Harry, make sure your friend doesn't do anything stupid. I'm going to re-check with the Ministry and see what the hell was taking them so long."

Harry nodded and slid over to press his back to the door, bobbing his tongue at Bysshe when the Vampire pouted. "Consider this additional punishment for inviting an entire coven of Muggle Vampires over without my permission."

"Damn."

"Damn is right, asshole." He folded his arms, and asked, "So did you check out the werewolves properly?"

"Which ones?"

"The ones in La Push, of course. Why? Are there other ones around here?"

Bysshe shrugged. "You tell me, magic-boy."

"Don't call me that."

"Yeah, it sounds gross." Ron mumbled sleepily, the fatigue from weeks of practically living in a hospital making itself known. He yawned loudly and slumped into a more comfortable position on the couch. "Nobody wake me up, okay?"

"Alright. And you didn't answer my question, Bysshe."

Bysshe sighed. "I did some snooping around and found out some interesting information. You know that Jacob kid who's friends with that little girl friend of yours?"

"Bella?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Anyway, Jacob is apparently supposed to be the pack leader but he was too young when the previous leader died and there is a surrogate leader in place right now."

"But…isn't Jacob old enough to lead?"

"Exactly. Also, they refer to Vampires as Cold Ones and made some kind of pact with that coven that was just here about hunting ground division."

Ron started to snore, and his head lolled to one side against the side of the couch, his red hair glinting dully in the light from the lamps.

Harry blinked. "Are you serious?"

"That's not even the best part. The last member of the Cullen coven, Edward, was dating Bella until recently when he ran off for mysterious purposes. As soon as I find out why, I'll let you know."

"That would be great, thanks. Bella and a Vampire? I wouldn't have guessed, but if he left without telling anyone why, that explains why she looks so sad sometimes. She tries to hide it, but I can still tell that she's down about something."

There was a loud thump from the kitchen, and a moment later Bert came into the parlor followed by a man and a woman in Unspeakable's robes. They acknowledged Harry and Bysshe with nods and silently opened the closet, gathering the body of Rabastan in their arms and exiting as quickly as they'd come.

"Well, that's a relief." Harry muttered, eyes clearing. "Do you have any theories about how he got through the wards hiding me?"

Bysshe rubbed his chin thoughtfully, gaze distant. "There are a couple of ways to do it."

Harry choked. "There are ways to break wards like mine?"

"Of course: if something can be created, it can be destroyed. Since Rabastan was insane, his magic would have become fractured and twisted, therefore counter-acting the normal cloaking charms because they are set up to deceive rational minds. Exposure to irrational magic often creates strange reactions."

"So does this make you crazy as well?"

He laughed quietly, watching Harry grab a blanket from the closet shelf and levitate his best friend, heading for the stairs. "Not quite. I just have a very unique mind- you could say I'm an extreme specialist, which means that my thought patterns are very abnormal. Not to mention that I enjoy stomping on Wizard's little God Complexes. Just because they can wave sticks and make things happen doesn't mean they control the rising of the sun and the tides of the oceans."

"That was almost poetic." Harry noted, pulling back the covers of the bed he had set up for Ron. He tugged off his shoes and jumper, making sure he would be comfortable before tucking him in and placing the extra blanket on him. It got cold here and Ron liked to be warm.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Do you have someplace to go tonight or are you going to stalk me?"

Bysshe cocked his head to one side in thought. "I was half-considering dropping in on an ex-girlfriend of mine for the hell of it, but I think I'm going to decide against that."

"Excellent! This means you can help me with my science homework."

"Hey, I didn't agree to this-"

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice."

"Damn you."

"Right back at you."

He walked to his room, switching on his study lamp and digging out his books. He handed the largest one to Bysshe along with a list of the things he needed to write about. "Knock yourself out."

0000000

Bella sighed, looking out the window. The rain slid down it in such a deluge that she wouldn't have been surprised if there were several hoses pointed straight at that window instead of just rain from the sky.

She had been doing better lately emotionally, and there had been no more attacks of nausea, but this morning she had just woken up feeling like utter shit.

Rubbing her eyes, she checked off the last of her 'true or false' questions and pushed the test sheet away from her. It was just the usual chapter review, but all of her energy had disappeared and she couldn't understand how she had endured this kind of schedule for so long without feeling so fatigued.

When the bell finally rang, she got herself together and headed for the door far slower than usual. Two people shoved past her, causing her to bash her hip against the metal rim of a desk. It would most likely turn an ugly shade of purple soon.

The wall of noise that greeted her in the cafeteria made her wince, so she quickly bypassed the food lines, stomach churning too much to handle the usual intake of chemical-laced food. The table she normally sat at was only occupied by Harry so far since the rest of them were still in line, so her spirits perked up slightly.

She hadn't had a chance to say hello to Harry properly yet today, and gleefully snuck up behind him before clapping her hands over his eyes and asking him to guess who.

"Um…Dracula?"

"Hey!"

He laughed, patting the grimy seat beside him. "It's the skin. It could throw anyone off."

"Speak for yourself, and you've got scars on top of it all."

Harry snorted, taking a swig of his coffee thermos. He had obviously chosen to skip as well since he had no tray.

"Harry, you're really thin. Won't you eat at least a little something?" She murmured, not wanting to pressure him but still a little worried about him. "And have you been sleeping?"

"I had a smoke, so I'm not hungry. And I didn't get very much sleep last night- I had bit of homework to do and Bysshe was over. We got it done eventually after messing about quite a lot."

"Messing about?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. For some reason we decided to make little cakes and then we watched some television shows for the heck of it and made popcorn for the sake of tossing it at the screen."

"When did you get a TV?" She stole a sip of his coffee. "I don't remember seeing one."

"Just a few days ago; we hooked it up yesterday morning, which was a pain since it's not exactly ideal out here for electrical thingies." he fiddled with his sleeves, tugging the cuffs over his fingertips, which Bella noticed looked quite red and like he had poked them on something.

"I agree. What happened to your hands?"

"Huh?"

"Your hands…they're red. Attack of the paper cuts?"

"Not quite. And this reminds me of something. We need to speak privately about some things later, okay?"

She was taken aback. He looked serious, and she wondered what had happened. Did she do something to upset him?

"What about?"

"It's nothing bad, just private."

"Okay. Do you want to come back to my house after school? We can have our talk and do our homework together."

"If you're sure it won't be a problem…?"

"Of course it won't. wait for me by the doors if you get there first, and I'll do the same."

"Sounds great."

She smiled, sneaking another sip of his caffeine. "This is good. Did you brew this?"

"Yeah. I was sick of the acid Bert was calling coffee."

"You're so mean to him."

"Trust me, he deserves far worse." He winked.

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End chapter 15

Sorry its short- I am being sent to bed because I'm a sickly excuse for a human being. I absolutely hate being sick! (whines)


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

The car ride was uneventful, and they'd unanimously decided to have their talk first and then hack into whatever pointless school assignments they had left over. Coming out of the kitchen where she'd been digging around looking for something to munch on, Bella plopped down next to Harry on her couch, wordlessly offering him her bag of chips.

"Are these American crisps?"

"Yeah, onion flavored."

"Cheers." He smiled and plucked out a handful, cautiously nibbling on one. "They're good."

"I thought you would like them. So what's this mysterious little talk of ours going to be about?" She used one foot to scratch the other, adjusting her hair into a ponytail and giving him an expectant look.

"Well, it's about several things."

"Okay…such as?" She prodded his arm when he didn't answer immediately, sedately chewing his crisps with a faraway gleam in his eyes.

"Oh, right, sorry. I heard some interesting gossip from Bysshe last night that I needed to discuss with you. Did you date someone named Edward Cullen recently?"

She stopped mid-chew, the bag crackling loudly as her hands tightened around it. "Who told you about him?"

"Bysshe, as I said before. And I'm taking your reaction as a 'yes'. I'm going to give you the option to not answer any of my questions that you find too invasive, but please keep in mind that I am not asking them to learn unnecessary intimate details of your life, I'm asking them so I can get some information about him, alright?"

Bella nodded. "Okay."

"Good. Now, did Edward do anything weird around you?"

"Yeah."

"Did he have cold, pale skin and interesting-colored eyes?"

"Yes."

"And did you ever see him eat anything?"

She bit her lip. "How much do you know?"

"Then you already know."

"Um…"

"That he's a 'Cold One', I meant."

"You know about that kind of stuff?" Bella asked, wrinkling her eyebrows and seeming to relax. She popped a crisp into her mouth, crunching it loudly.

"Well, duh. Bysshe is one, and he invited the Cullens over last night without telling me in advance, which I'm still upset about by the way." He commandeered the bag of chips, snickering when she grumbled and tried to take it back.

"How do you know about Vampires? Did Bysshe tell you or something?"

"I knew before I met him. I'm guessing Edward told you what he was?"

She smiled proudly, but there was an undertone of sadness to her expression that warned him to carefully slip a hand into his pocket and retrieve his handkerchief in case he needed it. "No, I figured it out on my own. It was really unlikely, but there is really no other way to explain what he can do." She bit her lip. "Do you…do you know where he is or if he's coming back?"

"I'm sorry, but no, I don't know anything about that. Bysshe was doing some snooping around, though, so if he hears anything and decides to gossip about it with me, I'll pass it on to you."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

They were quiet, and Bella noted that the rain had let up some. "What happened to your fingers?" She tapped them lightly, the gauges glistening with fresh scabs where they weren't sloppily bandaged.

"Bysshe was thirsty this morning and we couldn't be bothered to go hunt for something so I gave him a nip at my fingers."

She gaped. "But Vampires can't stop feeding once they taste human blood!"

He snorted. "Maybe normal ones can't, but there are ways to create controlled feedings that don't kill the giver." Such as magical baubles, usually in the form of jewelry, and of course the usual philters and talismans imbued with heathen magick and…and…

The list was endless thanks to the ancient nature of any magic involving blood. So much research had already been done on it that it was a miracle they were still able to discover new variations of it.

"Wow. Was there anything else or was that it?"

Harry sighed. "Jacob's a werewolf."

"…what?"

"Jacob's a-"

"No, I heard you, I'm just shocked." She stared straight ahead, thoughts whirling. In a way, it made perfect sense. If Vampires could exist, then why not werewolves? And that would handily tie up the real reason Jacob had known about the Cold Ones and his family didn't approve of the Cullens. "Are you ever going to tell me how you know?"

Harry snorted. "I might if you promise to stop treating me like some kind of pet."

"Aw, but its fun! You're too cute to not tease." She poked his shoulder, somber mood breaking as she giggled and tried to scoot away from his retaliating kick to her shins. "Play nicely!"

"After you, dammit!"

She laughed again, finally settling against the opposite side of the couch with a barricade of pillows between them. "You dodged my question again!"

He muttered something under his breath that she was pretty sure wasn't very polite. "I'm just warning you that it is even more inconceivable than Vampires."

"Oh."

"Yeah." He scratched his cheek lightly, and decided that he might as well get out with it. "I'm a wizard."

000000

Emmett hummed to himself, in the best mood he'd been in months. When he had quietly asked Harry to come on a tour of the forest with him, he hadn't been expecting him to say yes. He wouldn't have even asked at all, but Alice somehow knew about it (big surprise) and spent the journey there pressuring and wheedling him until he finally agreed to at least try to get Harry to go with him.

He didn't agree with her calling it a 'date', though. It was just too soon to start labeling things.

Half-way through folding the new shirt Rosalie had bought him on a whim, since she wanted him to wear more blue but he just never seemed to get around to buying it himself, he caught sight of his fingernails.

There was a thick layer of blood caked deep under them, still faintly red even though it was dry. Checking for any flecks that might have come off onto his clothes and relieved not to find any, he went into the bathroom and scrubbed them out.

Rosalie, since they were still inexplicably sharing a room, followed him in, fluffed her hair in the mirror, and idly asked him if he had decided what to wear yet.

"I'm stuck between all-out hiking gear and casual-messy."

"Damn."

"Exactly."

"Which one is blue?"

He sighed. "Thanks to you and your overzealousness, they both are."

"Alright!" She pumped her fist in the air briefly and smoothly stepped to the other side of the sink area so he couldn't take a swing at her. "We'll have you try them both on for me. I'd say shoes are the most important part, though, because god knows tromping through mud in an inadequate pair of shoes is hell."

"I agree."

She sighed gustily. "I'm bored, babe. Do you want to go do something together?"

"Such as?"

She shrugged. "It doesn't really make much difference to me. Maybe we could try to meet up with mom and see how the house-hunting is going?"

"That sounds risky."

Rosalie looked up from where she was smoothing a cuticle. "Why?"

"Alice is with her, and you know how those two are when they're shopping, whether its for houses or a new pair of earrings. They're friggin' insane."

"Okay, point taken. How about we go find a nice beach to walk barefoot on?"

He laughed. "Hell no- its still daylight, and sand chafes me."

She puffed up her lips like a starlet and made whining noises. "Poor little Emmy-em! His soft skin gets all red-"

He clapped a hand over her mouth, more than slightly horrified at the direction this was going. "What's gotten into you today, Rose? You've been really off the walls- more than usual."

She gave him a dead-pan look and he realized that he was still covering her mouth. He dropped his hand quickly and gave her an apologetic look so she wouldn't kill him. She had hormones of volcanic proportions, this one did.

"Thank you. And I'm just kind of horny, and don't really have an outlet for it."

He choked.

"I…I _really _did not need to know that, Rose!"

0000000

Bysshe sighed, eyeing the smoky illusion in front of him with mild distaste. It was a small skull with a snake wrapped around it, the symbol of the deceased Dark Lord Voldemort.

It happened to mean that the Death Eaters, what few insane fugitives that were still evading proper law enforcement that is, wanted to speak with him. Oh goody oh boy.

"I'd best be off to the nearest floo…" he mumbled to himself, strolling over to a copse of trees in the small city park he was currently loafing around in so he could apparatate without attracting a terrified crowd of Muggles.

He wondered what they wanted this time.

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The room was low-ceilinged and the air within it was not only stale and oppressive but smelled positively disgusting. The source of the smell was hard to pinpoint, but it emanated in hot waves from any one of the hunched figures huddled in their black cloaks, and the waste heaps wet with sewage were a key candidate as well. However, none of these quite covered it and he saw that the real cause for the almost unholy taint on the air was shriveled pieces of half-burnt, half-rotted flesh on a makeshift alter at the far end of the room. It was all that remained of the Dark Lord after his body was blasted in the victory ceremony, carefully dug out of the ashes by his maniacal servants.

Bysshe sneered contemptuously. His main reason for joining a coven as bizarre as his own, with ages ranging from the thousands to very modern and backgrounds as varied as they could get was because of his unique problem with authority. As a child, his parents hadn't considered raising him much of a concern and so he'd been allowed to run wild. He did what pleased him when it pleased him, and anyone who tried to compromise that was to be contested. His coven, thankfully, was open-minded to that and didn't mind him doing as he liked as long as that didn't include turning them into the Ministry.

The building used as 'headquarters' for the Death Eaters was once a hunting lodge of some kind, tucked deep into the woods and forgotten. He didn't know how they had stumbled upon it, but some well-placed notice-me-not charms made it the perfect place to avoid getting found by the law.

"Ah, you've arrived!"

Bysshe sighed and turned his head to glance at Lucius, who had risen shakily, one splayed hand braced against the wall to support him. Where his right leg had once been was a diseased stump, and there were even fewer traces of his once-legendary pride.

"Is there any luck? I thought I should ask you how the hunting goes." He grinned, showing off three cracked teeth.

Without the veneer of gentility that he had worn like a mask for so many years, it was if this was what he really was. A slave to a madman turned mad himself.

Since he had no intention of actually revealing to them that he had been stalking the boy for weeks now, he had several different lying options to go with. He could say he was dead, but if one of them got their hands on a newspaper and saw that he was still 'under protection', then he would have an entire pack of smelly people hankering to stake him. If he said he'd already found him and was just waiting to make his move, then they would nag him. That left intimidating them into giving up, and then killing them all.

"None. The boy has either become far more powerful than we can measure or has transcended to another plane of existence."

There was a collective blink, and then someone coughed harshly.

"He's done what?"

Bysshe groaned inwardly. Killing them it was, then.

Five minutes of screams, cracking bones, and general chaos later, he realized that he was surrounded by corpses oozing blood that had absolutely no appeal for him. And on top of that, a certain unstable but wily blonde had escaped in the confusion.

He didn't deem Lucius Malfoy worth tracking at this point.

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End chapter 16

This is a bit longer 


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: I still get comments remarking, usually favorably, on how blunt and just generally straight-forward my Harry is. Since I've got nothing better to do with my time, I will explain why. It's because he was sorted into Gryffindor. From what I've gathered, canon! Harry was more than a little wimpy and basically a hormonal little brat, so I fixed that and decided to write him as I think a proper Gryffindor who has spent his life being chased by would-be cultists and getting manipulated by old men who ought to have been at home having a nice cuppa instead of running a goddamn school would behave.

I hope that clears everything up.

CHAPTER 17

"What? But…wait…" her eyes were so wide he was momentarily frightened they were going to pop out of her head. That would be really gross, and what if he stepped on one and it squished between his bare toes and infected his toenails and then green slime would grow and mutate into man-eating plants with toenails for teeth-

Okay, ending that thought train now.

Harry just looked at her. "It means exactly what you think it means."

"Oh my god! …holy shit. I mean, oh my god!"

"That's more of the reaction I was expecting." He curled his legs up under him, smiling faintly at her open mouth. "You look like a fish with your mouth like that, and the eye thing is just creepy."

She clamped her mouth shut and her eyes returned to normal size. "Harry, I can handle Vampires and werewolves…but Wizards?"

"Sorry." He shrugged. "I was born this way and I figured you ought to know, just in case I do something weird without realizing it and freak you out, like make something float or use magic in general."

"I don't think I'd mind seeing you do some."

"I'm not supposed to."

"Oh." She almost sulked, crunching sullenly on her chips.

He patted her shoulder. "You got any questions about it or do you pretty much get it?"

"Is Bert one?"

"Yeah."

"So…is it just you two, or is there a bunch of you tucked away someplace?" she made a small cupping motion with her hands, and then expanded it so her arms were wide and encompassing the room. "And if there are a lot of you, where do you live? Like, in warrens like rabbits-"

He started laughing, not knowing why her comparison to rabbit warrens was funny but knowing for some reason that it was. "Haha, eh, no."

"No to which one?"

"The-" he gasped for air. "The one about it just being me and Bert; I can't tell you a lot since it violates the Secrecy Act in ways I don't even want to think about, but I think I'm allowed to let you know that we, although significantly smaller than the non-magical population, are nothing to sniff at. The population of witches in America is really low, though, I'm sorry to say. There were a lot here before it became America, but it was more in the form of organized religious sects spread out amongst whoever lived in it. There is still a lot of speculation in our world about the spirits and gods they served and whether or not they're real."

"…Oh."

"Yeah."

"So did you live your whole life until now in some kind of magical town or what?"

"No, actually. I was raised by 'normal' relatives until I was eleven and then a wizard came to get me to teach me how to use my magic. I've left proper schooling though because of some…stuff…and then I got sent here. Its sort of a paid vacation/learning experience deal."

She puffed out her cheeks and then blew the air out through her lips in a loud gust "Well, when you said we were going to have a talk, I didn't think I'd be learning this kind of stuff about you. Should I share stories about myself too?"

He laughed. "If you like, but it'll have to be as we study. My best mate from back in England finally caved under my pressure and is visiting right now, so I do need to be home for dinner. He's a wizard too, by the way."

"Sorry, I didn't realize. What did he plan to do with himself while you were at school? You might need to be back sooner."

"Oh, Bert is sure to be occupying him with something completely frustrating and useless like weeding our forest of rhododendrons in the back of the house or attempting to do something in the way of re-decorating our basement."

She blinked. "You have a forest of rhododendrons? Aren't those more bush-shaped?"

"I'm sure they were once, but whoever owned the house last decided to plant them even though it's always raining here and they've been there so long they basically overgrew the entire back. When it's not too wet, the cats like to explore them. Apparently we have whole clans of different animals living in there."

"Seriously?"

"Yep. But they don't bother us and we don't bother them, so it's fine. We feed them our leftovers when we have them."

"Cool."

"Anyways! Back to the books!" and with exaggerated zeal that would no doubt wear out just before he finished his English paper, he began setting up his books in the order he would use them.

Bella doodled stick figures with pointy hats zooming around on broomsticks in the margins of her Biology book.

000000

Ron grumbled under his breath, sweat sticking the edges of his hair to his face (it itched), moving the sofa up the stairs with some effort. Contrary to what Bert had insisted, he was positive that supporting the back end of the couch was in fact the heavier job when transporting a couch upstairs.

"What's the wait for?!"

Dammit, his grip was slipping. He frantically shifted his grip just before he would have lost it, and sighed with relief. If he had dropped his end of the couch, then Bert wouldn't have been able to hold the whole thing himself and it would have fallen down and crushed him into a pulp.

Why they were trying to get this couch out of the basement was beyond him. What was its selling point beyond Bert's childish whine of "But it's pretty!"? None that he could see, that was for sure.

And it smelled like cat. Nothing that smelled like cat had any reason being valued, he always said. He had had to tend to Crookshanks while Hermione was out of commission and despite everything he did for it, it remained as crotchety and bad-tempered to him as if he was some stranger on the street who had robbed it of its herring.

It had turned him downright against felines and he didn't know how he was going to pose the ultimatum of 'it's me or the cat' to Hermione when she woke since she was dashed fond of the cat. Sighing, he moved the sofa up the last half of the basement stairs now that Bert was finally pulling his side and winced when the brighter lighting of the main floor hit his eyes.

"Where do we want this again?"

"Left, Ron. We're going to put it in that spare spot in the kitchen."

Rolling his eyes, he shuffled his body around so he was walking backwards towards the kitchen. "And why do you want a cat-smelling sofa in the kitchen of all places? I mean, it seems like a weird place for a sofa to me."

"Well, the best heating is in the kitchen and that makes it a nice place to be when its cold here, and so far we have the wood floor and some very uncomfortable wood chairs to sit on in there. So, if we move a couch in, then next time I get a chill or just want someplace to sit while I am waiting for the food to cook, I can sit on a sofa."

"So this whole thing is entirely for your personal comfort?"

"Yes."

Ron dropped his side of the couch, hiding a grin when Bert squeaked and crushed his fingers. "Then you can drag in by yourself, mate."

"But-"

"Unless you make me some biscuits after this. If you do, then I shall happily assist you."

"Fine, goddammit. Now pick up your end of this blasted couch!"

"Thank you."

"Shut up. Kids these days are downright cheeky!"

"With people like you as examples of what we have to look forward to becoming, we are trying to act as un-adult as possible for as long as we can."

Bert gaped. "That was low, even coming from you."

"I merely follow in your footsteps. You've got quite the sharp tongue…for an old man."

"Ah, there goes my dignity, shot through the heart."

They set the couch down, and Ron sat on it, sighing with relief. Rubbing the insides of his elbows, he conceded grudgingly that while the couch might smell, it was pretty comfortable, and the patterning on it was soothing unlike most modern couch patterns, which seemed to exist for the sake of confusing you into thinking you were having a bad drug trip.

Bert dug into his pocket, pulling out the cigarettes he'd snitched from Harry's room this morning when he wandered in looking for any dirty laundry that he might deal with. It was almost disturbing that his mind considered menial housework jobs sufficient anti-boredom fodder.

"Are those yours?" Ron asked blandly.

"No, Harry's."

"Oh." Ron's eyebrows wrinkled and his lips moved with calculations. "He's still smoking? Like, regularly?"

"From what I've seen, yes."

"Wow."

"Why did you ask?" Bert tossed the packet from palm to palm, wondering just how angry Harry would be with him if he tossed it out.

"Well, its just he promised me a few months back that he was going to try to quit." He swallowed. "He must have given up. Harry has never given up on anything before in his life, and I was just thinking about how much we have all changed." Glancing almost shyly over at Bert, he quietly asked, "Do you remember what it felt like to…to grow up? To become an adult? Its like one day you have plenty of time to still act young and immature, but the next time you blink you're almost seventeen and its time to smell the gunpowder."

"Yeah, I remember. It's not that different from being a child, though. Its not like there are big scary things in the adult world that they hide from you, and then throw it on your head when you come of age. Sure, you have to support yourself and there will be certain people who'll want to marry you off somehow, but really the only hard parts about being an adult are persevering even when you feel like shit and learning how to make good decisions."

Ron nodded. "That is a little comforting. I wish he wouldn't smoke, though. It might not affect his health or ours, but its sort of like a warning sign, and that makes me nervous."

"You mean how most people smoke to fill a void in their lives?"

"Yeah. I never thought Harry would be the type to get addicted to something, and this means that he could get addicted to something worse. Not to mention that he has at least some depression still. I'm no glaring beam of sunshine, but I think that I am getting better day-by-day, slowly crawling back up to normal. I don't think any of us will ever be able to be carefree ever again…that's too much to expect of anyone, especially us. I just want to get through my day and be happy." He chuckled. "And hopefully have Hermione with me, of course."

"She's the girlfriend on the mend, right?"

"Right you are, and worth every day I spent in that frigid hellhole of an establishment."

"I never understood why they made hospitals so miserable myself. Aren't they supposed to make you feel better? And what happened to bedside manners, eh?"

"Yeah…eventually everything goes to hell in a handbag I guess. I think a series of small apocalypses go on every day, personally, and we just don't realize that that's the real reason behind large groups of people all have a rotten day at once."

"I agree."

The sound of a roaring engine alerted them to Harry's return. Ron straightened his back and got off the sofa, nodding to Bert and heading out of the kitchen. The door creaked, and Bert deduced that he was heading to greet Harry on the porch.

He tucked the cigarettes back into his pocket with a sigh. He's have to return them sometime since Harry had spent money on them and owned them fair and square, but he could at least delay the inevitable.

0000000

"So you're picking him up tomorrow, but you're stalking him tonight anyway?" Alice calmly asked, catching him in the act of sneaking out.

Emmett groaned. "Can't I have some privacy?"

"Hell no. you might do something _really _bad." Jasper grinned, dodging the pillow Emmett lobbed at his blonde head. "Like that time you attempted to fix the kitchen plumbing back at Forks and we came home to find a small waterfall instead of a proper tap."

"You promised that we would never bring that up again!"

"Well, I felt like emotionally traumatizing you. I can feel your embarrassment in waves, man. Be grateful that I didn't do this in front of Harry."

"You should be grateful too. I might have torn both your arms off."

Jasper playfully growled right back at him and they circled each other briefly, tensing to wrestle each other to the ground before Alice broke their little bubble of testorone.

"Didn't you have somewhere to sneak to, Em?"

"Oh, yeah. Thanks Alice."

"Not a problem. I would never stand in the way of your great love story-"

"You lot are all complete jerks. I hope you're happy."

"We're very happy."

"Good!" Emmett climbed out the window, which promptly loosened and crushed his large fingers. "Goddammit!"

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End chapter 17

There! Normal length again. Sorry I missed a day.

.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: SIX HUNDRED REVIEWS! You guys have no idea how awesome you are :D

CHAPTER 18

Making vague attempts to quell his bad temper developed by a night of watching Harry staying up very late talking to his friend Ron and then dropping off to sleep in the same bed, Emmett took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Glancing down while he waited for them to answer it, he saw a large clump of mud clinging to the side of his boot and hurriedly began scraping it off with his other shoe before he realized that he didn't have anywhere to dispose of it except to rub it off onto their porch, which, although filthy to begin with, would probably be a bad idea.

The door opened before he could come up with a solution, and since he was still looking down he had an excuse to give Harry an once-over. He didn't have his shoes on yet, so he could to admire one faintly pink toe protruding from one of his mismatched socks (they had little brooms on them). He was wearing a pair of jeans that had definitely seen better days but had had various well-meaning attempts at mending practiced upon them and a sweater. His hair was half-tangled up in a rubber band and was therefore neater than usual.

"Hello there! Won't you come in?"

"Hey…thanks." He stepped carefully around him, wanting badly to inhale him but controlling himself at the same time. "You are going to need to wear some shoes."

Harry grinned. "I know. I was just having breakfast, and figured I ought to do that with my shoes off. Come on, come this way." He snagged Emmett's sleeve with the tips of his fingers, wrapping the fabric through his digits almost deliberately and leading him into the kitchen where Bert was having a mug of coffee with Ron.

"Hello again, Emmett, was it?"

"Yeah, and you are…?"

"Ron Weasley, temporary houseguest. I hope you know that any misdemeanors on your part while you're out with my mate here will get you a smoking hole through the chest."

Emmett nodded. "I'll take good care of him and steer clear of the quicksand and wild bears."

"You do that." Ron nodded, neither him nor Harry blinking at the mention of wild bears like he was expecting. "And try to have fun."

Harry grinned at Ron and tugged his ear. "Don't let Bert have his way too much- don't think I didn't notice how much heavy lifting got done yesterday."

"Don't worry about me. I don't think he can dig up enough favors for me today, and even if he can I shall staunchly maintain my upright spine of free will."

"Good, good." Harry patted his arms and then told Emmett that he could come upstairs with him to put his shoes on.

"So how is your family?"

"They're good. Annoying, but good."

Harry laughed. "Oh yeah? Did they tease you about going on a date with a human?"

"Pretty much. Are you ready?"

Harry nodded his assent, knocking his booted heels together briefly to demonstrate that they were, in fact, ready. He pulled his arms into his raincoat and gave Emmett a massive grin. "So are we traveling on foot or by magic carpet?"

"Heh, by foot if that's okay. But don't worry! If you get tired, we can stop or I'll carry you."

This got him a much sweeter smile and a gentle pet to the shoulder as Harry walked around him to lead them downstairs. "That's really sweet of you, Emmett."

Emmett blushed at his back, rubbing the back of his neck. Sometimes he felt like a stars struck little girl, but in the past it had been more of when Rosalie had dressed up extra good for him or had done something so sweet to him that he had wondered if she had multiple personalities under her icy face. Harry made him feel the tell-tale butterflies every time he saw him, and especially when he opened his mouth and used his beautiful voice. There was something about Harry's voice, something extra.

Sometimes he was positive he could hear a faint hiss under his words, the sound tickling his hypersensitive ears. He wanted to mention it, but wasn't sure if that was socially-acceptable, not that Harry seemed the type to give a flying fuck about what was polite to ask someone on a date.

They had stepped outside after Harry waved briefly to his weird guardian and Ron, the wet air whipping Harry's hair into his mouth.

"Argh, dammit…" Harry muttered, yanking the rubbed band out of his hair, disentangling it from a single very stubborn curl before he gathered the entirety of his hair long enough to be pulled back and did so. He secured it with the band and then descended the rest of the steps into the muddy yard.

"Which way?"

"To your left that way." Emmett pointed, picking up the pace to trudge beside Harry. The rain was freezing, not that it made any difference to Emmett, but he worried about Harry's bare hands. Exposure of bare skin to cold water for too long was supposed to be bad for humans.

"Are your hands alright?"

"Yeah, thanks. So what do you usually hunt in here, when you go feeding?"

The carefree way he asked was as good as a verbal reassurance that it was okay to talk about being a Vampire, which made tension Emmett didn't know he was harboring disappear. Being a Vampire was a large contribution to how his psyche had been shaped over the years, and Emmett liked to think that this was almost like Harry saying that he didn't mind what kind of person he was.

"Bear is my favorite."

"I'll bet it's because they wrestle."

Emmett's eyebrows went up. "How'd you know?"

"You strike me as a fun-loving kind of guy, the outdoorsy type good at using your hands."

"If you know what sort I am, then its only fair you tell me what kind you are." He nudged him in the calf with his boot, grinning. "Oh, and we take this trail right to go deeper into the southern parts."

"If only south meant warm."

"Sorry."

"Unless Vampires can suddenly control the weather, its not your fault. And as for what kind of person I am, the only thing I can really think of to describe it is dangerous."

"Ooh, I like danger." Emmett leered at Harry, almost tripping over a log when he noticed the glint in the green eyes. Dangerous, indeed. "How do you feel about baseball?"

"That was kind of out there, but it's alright from what I've seen of it on the telly. I've never actually played. What's the point of it again?"

Christmas had come early. He got to talk about sports! "Well, you have a bat and…"

000000

In St. Mungo's Intensive Care Unit, the steady thrumming of magical monitors keeping careful watch over the prone body of one Hermione Jane Granger began to beep with increasing urgency.

A nurse came skidding into the room, a bit rumpled from her boyfriend, who worked security, and came to a stop beside the bed just in time to see the girl, no, woman's eyelids flutter.

Brown eyes blinked out at the world for the first time in months, and she tried to sit up but the straps keeping her in place in case she moved in her sleep and rolled off restrained her. The nurse, known as Lou Ellen to her friends, hurriedly undid them and smiled brightly at Hermione.

"Welcome to the land of the living, miss."

"Oh my…may I have some water please?"

Give it to Hermione for remembering her manners even after being in a bloody coma.

"Hang on a minute. I'll get you some." Lou Ellen bustled out of the room and snagged the jug from the handy little cart making a circuit of the rooms, taking the moment of privacy to reach up her skirt and readjust her garters. George was getting downright frisky these days!

"Here you are, love." She gently supported the back of Hermione's head after feeling through the layers of thick brown hair, holding the rim of the glass to her dry lips. She took a careful sip, then another and another until a good half of it was consumed.

"Thank you."

"Not a problem. If you don't have any other pressing needs, I'll go send a firecall to those nice lads that spend so much time here and let them know you've come to."

"Thank you…?"

"Lou Ellen Lichstein."

"Right." Hermione relaxed her neck back against the pillows, her muscles significantly stiffer and wasted away from their previous glory despite the wonders of Wizarding preservatives used to ensure a minimal amount of physical therapy later.

How long had she been out, she wondered. And had Ron really been sitting by her day after day like her mind vaguely suggested? If he had, it was dashed loyal of him and all but she would have preferred it if he were out getting a job or something instead of mooning after her in the hospital; it would have made his mum happier, at least, and Hermione was very keen on agreeing as much as she was able with Mrs. Weasley. After all, she intended to propose to her son one of these days and if Ron said yes (which she was hoping he would), they would be mother and daughter-in-law.

Oh, what a lovely thought.

If she'd had the energy, which she didn't, Hermione would have rubbed her hands together.

000000

Ron was cheerfully squeezing the life out of Bert via free-spirited expression of his exuberance while shrieking about Hermione being awake, and he didn't let go until the older man started to make various choking sounds in addition to the flailing arms bit.

"Shouldn't we tell Harry somehow?"

Ron worried his lower lip, some of the happiness subsiding. "I'm sure he'll want to know…he's her best friend too…but it looked to me like that Emmett guy had really worked up the nerve before he asked Harry out and Harry looked like he liked him so maybe we should wait another hour? When are they getting back?"

"They're supposed to be back in less than half an hour, so we really could wait until then."

Bert and Ron nodded to each other.

"Why don't you run along and see your girlfriend, and I'll wait here to tell Harry the good news."

"Sounds perfect. Thanks, Bert!"

"Not a problem. Who am I to stand in the way of young love?"

"Oh, shut up you old pervert!"

Ron grinned and ducked into the fireplace, shouting out the Hospital's name and disappearing in a whirl of green smoke.

000000

Standing very close to Emmett under the eaves of the porch and smiling the tired but happy smile of those who have spent their day getting plenty of fresh air and good exercise, Harry shyly rested his hand on Emmett's arm.

"Despite the blasted rain, I had a very nice time with you, Emmett. You're the nicest date so far in my short experiences with them."

Emmett laughed. "Well, you're the first person I've gone out with who hasn't nagged me _once!"_

"Yeah, well, it would be weird if I did."

They shuffled their feet, and Emmett almost gave into the defeated feeling building in him, turning to go, when Harry's hand tightened.

"Hey, aren't you forgetting something?"

"Um…"

Harry rolled his eyes, stood on his toes, and kissed him.

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End chapter 18

Back to the shortness. This is like a loosing battle, people.

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	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

Since he had been about to sigh, Emmett's mouth was partially open and what felt like a solid stream of Harry's essence flowed straight to his blood system. If he hadn't realized that kissing a human was warm and therefore this must be Harry's mouth against his, he would have attacked and enjoyed the fruits of his attack with delight. There was simply no other way to explain it: the mere act of kissing Harry went beyond every feeding experience he'd ever had.

Harry pulled back, briefly stroked the side of his face, and went inside. Over his shoulder, just before closing it behind him, he said, "I'll see you tomorrow night. Bring whoever you like."

The door clicked shut, and Emmett's hand rose like a ghost to gently touch the human wetness clinging to his lower lip.

It felt incredible, and he guessed he could finally understand why Edward had always looked so happy about kissing Bella. It hadn't quite connected in his mind that a human mouth wasn't a cold, dry thing like a Vampire's.

He took off at a run for the hotel his family was staying at, and debated deep within the recesses of his mind whether or not he could trust Rosalie to keep her mouth shit if he told her about his little experience. The answer was maybe, if he could come up with a sufficient bribe.

Just before he arrived, he remembered the new Chanel shoes she had been salivating over. A quick inventory of his wallet proved that the mission would be possible, and so he redirected his steps to lead him past the lone line of designer shops.

The clerk was very helpful, and she even offered to gift wrap it for him.

He was slightly chagrined to discover her one number written neatly on a little card curled into the folds of the tissue paper, and barely removed it in time before his missive was snatched by Rosalie and inhaled.

"Ah! The sweet smell of expensive things…" Rosalie purred, rubbing the gleaming sides of the bag with her freshly manicured fingernails. They were the color of freshly-spilt blood and gleamed in the low light from the lamps lit to break the dim of twilight. "What'd you get me?"

"Open it up and find out. It was expensive, so you should like it."

She plopped down onto her bed, gently setting the bag beside her and untying the ribbon with exaggerated slowness. "You know, when we stopped dating I supposed that these little surprises of yours would stop. I'm very happy to see that I was wrong."

"Yeah, well, you know I still can't resist that little begging face you give me."

"What if I beg for something inappropriate?" She unfolded the first layer of delicate tissue paper, carefully folding it in half and setting it to the side.

"Then I shall have to bring Harry in to strengthen my resolve."

Rosalie stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh, have you two reached the confidentiality point already? Someone's been a busy boy."

"Well, if you like that present enough to uphold my trust, I'll let you in on just how good of a boy I've been."

Her eyebrows rose and she removed the last of the tissue paper with a flourish, gasping when she saw the gleaming silver shoes with their diamond-studded heels. "Oh!" Her hands fluttered over the shoes, carefully holding them by their straps and stroking the gleaming satin. "They're so beautiful! Emmett, you really are too good to me."

"You could have bought them yourself, you know, but you're welcome anyway."

She tugged off her own shoes, struggling a little with the fourth strap on her right leg before Emmett bent down to help her, allowing her to slip one foot into her shining new acquisition.

"Emmett, you can tell me _anything._"

"And it won't leave this room?"

"You have my word." She applied the other one, turning her feet every which way to watch the light reflect off of them. Even from his new platonic perspective, Emmett had to admit that they looked pretty damn incredible on her.

"So what illegal thing did you do this time, babes?"

"Nothing illegal, nothing at all." He took a deep breath. "We just… kissed."

"Pardon?"

"He kissed me, and it was fucking great!"

Without missing a beat, she followed up. "Well, did you kiss back?"

"Um…I think I did."

She spluttered. "What do you mean 'you think'? We made out all the time: how can you not know? This isn't first grade, you know."

"Hey, be nice to me! I've just spent a whole day mostly behaving myself. And besides, kissing humans feels completely different to kissing you, for your information."

Rosalie cocked her head to one side, pausing in her glowing admiration of her shoes. "Different how?"

"It's warm, and wet…and very nice. He smelled really good close up too. I mean, I felt like I was going to snap him in half any second, but he felt good to hold."

"You didn't bruise him, did you?" Rosalie asked wryly, reaching down to remove the shoes.

"Not that I know of. I guess I'll find out tomorrow night…or tonight if you're willing to let me pop off and keep an eye on him as he sleeps."

"Pop off? That sounded very british, Emmett." She suddenly leaned forward and cooed while petting his hair like an old lady pets her lapdog. "You two are already acting like each other! One kiss and here we are already witnessing a married couple…"

"Hey! And stop touching me!" He tried to bat her away, but her reflexes had always been faster sop the only result was getting smacked on the nose. "Ow."

"Now, now, behave yourself, Emmy. And you can go watch your boyfriend only if I can come along. That other Vampire friend of his, Bysshe or something, seems the sort of man I could get used to."

Emmett gaped. "Are you serious?"

"No, but now that I think about it, he's not that bad looking. Brown just isn't a good hair color for him. What do you think his natural shade is?"

"Why don't you check the carpet and find out?"

Rosalie burst into giggles, pointing at his face and laughing harder.

"It wasn't that funny!"

"I can't believe you just said that!" She continued to laugh, every time her hysterics flagged merely having to glance at him to start back up again. "And I like the fact that you've given me permission to peep inside other men's pants. I'm taking that as a positive sign for our changing relationship."

"And you can do more than just peep if you want, but for gods sakes don't tell me. I don't want to know if you start exploiting the hearts of poor young guys."

"As if I would do something like that." You could practically see the halo she was trying to make, and her utter failure to make it convincing.

"That's not even worth my contradictions, Rose. You couldn't avoid shattering a few young men if you tried."

"Oh whatever." She waved a hand breezily. "So back to you- how do you think it went?"

"It went good. We didn't stop talking the whole time we were out. Did you know he used to live with another uncle because his parents were murdered when he was one?"

"That's horrible! And no, I didn't know. What happened to the guy who murdered them?"

"I didn't ask, but I get the feeling that they aren't at large anymore."

Rosalie bit her lip. "You should ask, because I've been itching to rip someone apart lately and this would be the perfect excuse."

"Oh, protective of him already? He's not your little brother yet."

"Yet being the operative word, Emms. Now go get Alice for me; I want to make her jealous with my new shoes."

He groaned. "The things I do for you…"

Her foot shot out just before he was out of range and kicked him in the tush. "Watch the attitude, slave."

"Yes mistress."

"Better."

000000

His shoes left muddy prints on the pristine white floors of the hospital, but Harry couldn't be bothered to give two whits. Hermione was not only alive, she was awake and asking to see him!

The once unpleasantly-familiar room seemed transformed by the sight of Hermione sitting proper up by at least ten pillows and beaming like the sun had been set alight inside her face.

"Harry!"

"Hermione!" He reached the bed and crawled up on the side Ron wasn't occupying, hugging her as best as he could from the strange angle and pulling some muscle in his lower back from bending it at angle it had not been made accustomed to.

"I hear you've been a very preoccupied young man, Harry." Hermione lightly scolded, running her hands through his hair fondly and smiling in a mildly disapproving but nevertheless amused way. He was reminded of how he thought his mother must have looked at James and Sirius.

"What do you mean?"

"The Witness Protection Program is very exclusive and something of a last resort. Its quite impressive that you've been enrolled in it."

"Well, maybe they should use it more often because so far it sure as hell hasn't guaranteed my safety." He grumbled, plucking at her hair. "How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"

"I have far more than I need, thank you for asking. And as for how I feel, well…roughly as though I've been trampled by a herd of wild elephants wearing the world's largest stilettos."

"Oh…sorry."

"It's okay. They've put me on pain killers and restoratives so I'll be fine in another half an hour when they kick in properly."

"Good, good. Any news on when you can be released?"

"I have to stay the next week for observation, but then if no complications show themselves, I'm free to go." She smiled down at them, kissing Ron's forehead. "You boys need to decide where you want me."

"Um…" Ron mumbled, obviously thinking deeply about this. "I haven't really spent very much time with my family lately, but I don't have to ask to know that they wouldn't approve of us living together in my flat and we can't have Harry move in too because he's in the fucking program."

"Oh dear." Hermione sighed, fiddling with her hands. "How attached are you to your flat, Ron?"

He wrinkled his nose. "My neighbors are old hellcats who don't know the meaning of 'my business' other than to stick their noses in it and the plumbing never works properly. I've been meaning to move for ages, but it just hasn't happened."

"Then I might have a solution. Harry, how many extra beds do you have in your safe house?"

He caught on immediately to where she was going with this. "We have a guest room, which Ron in staying in right now, but my room is massive and I could easily fit another three beds in, so it wouldn't be any trouble to have us lads share and then you can have the guest room."

Ron's eyes were wide. "Mate, this is perfect! All three of us under one roof…it'll be just like with Grimmauld except not miserable."

Hermione laughed. "But we haven't asked Harry's guardian if its alright with him yet. He might not like a young lady living with us suddenly."

Harry groaned. "Unfortunately, he'll probably be overjoyed."

Ron winced. "True, that."

"Oh." Hermione looked down, and then shrugged. "Ah, what the hell? I don't care."

"Excellent!" Harry craned his neck and smacked her cheek with a very large and damp brotherly kiss. "Welcome to the family!"

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End chapter 19


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: I made the mistake of looking over the Twilight fandom on this website last night and I have to say I was a little disgusted. The books have been out more than long enough for some good fics worth reading beyond the first chapter to crop up! I challenge, unofficially, any of you out there with nothing better to do with your time to write a fic entirely from Charlie or Jacob's point of view that does not feature a focus on Bella and/or Edward. Something about the minor characters would be nice, too. Especially Emmett! Thanks. Feel no obligation to follow my challenge, by the way. I'm just throwing my displeasure out there.

CHAPTER 20

"What's got you so happy?" Bella asked, a little shocked to see Harry grinning ear-to-ear at lunch even though he had ended up wedged between Mike Newton and Eric who were having a spirited conversation about cell phone brands over his head.

Jessica looked up from her wonder bread confection of a sandwich to gape. "Oh my gods, don't take this the wrong way, but are you on crack?"

He scowled at her briefly. "Crack doesn't make you happy, it fills your life with darkness and despair." His smile came back when he turned to Bella. "My friend who was in a coma woke up, and she's coming to live with me and Ron next week!"

Bella blinked. "What about her parents?"

A shadow flickered over his face. "There was an accident, and both suffered head injuries and extreme amnesia. They don't remember her anymore, and think that they are in their twenties after they first got married. She doesn't want to upset them and can't bear to look at them most of the time, so living with them isn't an option. No one else in her family wants her either, so it made sense for her to come live with Ron and I."

Their table had gone dead-silent, the teenagers sometimes pausing mid-chew to stare at him.

Mike broke the silence by quietly asking, "Harry, don't you have any normal friends who don't have horrible pasts? From what I've picked up, everyone you know has had some kind of horrible tragedy in their life."

"Um…" A wrinkle formed between his eyebrows as he thought that one through. "Nope. Ron is as close as it gets, and he's lost three family members recently." Fred would be missed for as long as George lived, without Mr. Weasley Mrs. Weasley was more than a little lost, and of course Percy's unexpected revelation as a spy for Dumbledore had shocked his entire family almost as much as his noble death for all of their sakes. Mrs. Weasley still hadn't forgiven herself for not being there for him no matter what he had said to protect his place in the Ministry.

"Who's Ron?" Angela asked, blushing when Harry turned his focus onto her.

"He's my best mate from England and he's staying with me and my uncle now. We're working on enrolling him and Hermione into the school as we speak, and there's a possibility that a third friend of mine also from England will be coming over as well." They hadn't asked Luna about what her plans were now that she was back from Creature hunting, but he thought that the large Vampire population in Forks might tempt her into coming at least for a quick visit. He had missed her utterly unique perspective on everything, and having two girls move in at the same time would lower the sensationalism of the event in Bert's mind, which was a plus.

Mike grinned. "Like a miniature English invasion!"

Harry just ignored him, going back to smiling to himself and eating his half a sandwich, which was all Bella could convince him to eat. She really was worried about his lack of weight- anyone that skinny attending a city school would be classified as anorexic and sent to a clinic. She wished she could do more to help him, but maybe his new higher spirits would do more good than an entire meal.

"So when do I get to see what this Hermione girl looks like?" She asked, taking a sip of her cheap coffee. The school coffee tasted, on bad days, more like a vat of toxic waste than the distilled drink it should have but she now drank it anyway without fail because her blood had become dependant on the caffeine high it gave her afternoons. She rationalized that she needed it because of the extra credit work she was doing, all of which was raising her grade point average exponentially.

"I have a picture of her in my wallet, if you want to see a really crappy photo."

"Oh, give it here!" She bounced in her seat, reaching over and making grabbing motions in front of his face. He laughed and batted it away.

"Patience in a virtue, missy. Hold on a spare moment!"

"Come on, come on, come on!"

Mike got up to leave, doing his best to convince Jessica to come out to his car with him to make out before lunch ended. She wasn't moving, though, since she also wanted to see the picture. With a groan he trudged off to sort his locker out, not wanting to experience the squealing females.

Finally digging out his wallet (it always seemed to take longer when he actually needed it), he flipped it open to the small picture he had tucked into it, and making sure it was a Muggle one before he did so. In it, Hermione was squashed between Ron and Harry who were hugging around and above her. All three wore identical mischievous grins, a carefree look in their eyes that he knew they would never have again.

"Oh wow, she's really pretty." Jessica murmured, blushing afterwards and therefore indicating that she hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"Yeah, and I think I can expect some serious behavior between her and Ron. They've liked each other without admitting it for 5 years and have been dating for almost 2." He closed his wallet once he felt they had ogled it enough, using his fingertips to smooth his hair out of his eyes and back to one side before tucking it behind his ear.

He really ought to get it cut. Maybe after work on Saturday would work; he could take Ron with him, and then they'd both be all spiffy for when Hermione came to make herself at home in his humble abode.

But for now he was going to go have a cigarette, Bella's mournful look be damned. He cared about her feelings regarding his current bad lifestyle choices, but there comes a time when a man must put his own needs first. He liked to apply this to his smoking habit, which he considered important to his emotional health. If smoking a stick of nicotine was all it took to regulate his temper and afford him a few extra moments of peace every day, then all else be damned, he was going to smoke that stick!

"Where are you going?" Bella asked when he stood.

"To have a smoke."

"But…" She sighed. "Fine."

His eyebrows rose but he left anyway. He would have to ask her about her new acceptance of it later and find out what was up with her.

0000000

The door closed behind Harry and he removed his shoes in a state of habit, his jacket following the process before he even realized that the aura of the house felt different…like there was more than Bert and Ron inside it. The faint scent of rotting human flesh mixed with sickly-sweet woman's perfume led him to the parlor.

There were three extra people sitting on his favorite couch. Two of them he had never seen before in his life, and the third was Bysshe, who was looking more like he had just been henpecked than Harry had previously thought possible. Even his shoulders were hunched.

"Um…did I miss something?"

Bert looked up from where he was busily flipping through a history manual. There were several notebooks scattered around his seat along with various Muggle writing implements.

"Oh, Harry, Bysshe was finally able to arrange the interview I'd been asking about. If you have a moment, I'd like to introduce you to the infamous Helen Winner and her…er…"

"Life partner." Her voice was a clipped, cultured snap of syllables that gave one the impression that she had been raised in a time when how you spoke could dictate your place in society, and she was at the top of this hierarchy. It was almost intimidating.

"Life partner Julius Lowe."

Harry nodded to the couple. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I understand that you're immortal and all, but can I get either of you something to drink?"

Helen curled her lips upwards in a facsimile of a smile. "Have you black tea?"

"Of course we do. It's practically a national duty to be well-stocked with multiple varieties."

She grinned, looking much friendlier. "Then we'll both have some of that, thank you. I take mine with cream, no sugar. Julius, what do you want in yours?"

Since it was the first time he'd heard his voice, Harry almost fell over when the man's accent hit him. It wasn't an accent he could put his finger on, annoyingly, but it was the powerful kind that makes you feel like there's an entire crowd of foreigners suddenly in your living room.

"I would like lemon if you have it."

"We do. I'll be right back." Harry set his book bag on the only unoccupied chair (Idiot and several of the other organically-named cats were taking over the rest of the room) and went off to the kitchen to boil some water.

Making tea the Muggle way was a painstaking and sometimes aggravating process. He missed the convenience of the Wizarding world sometimes…wait…if Helen Winner was here interviewing a Wizard, then she must be magical!

Much happier now that he'd realized the obvious, Harry cast a quick boiling charm and tucked the tea bags into their mugs before having the tea pot pour water in them while he put away the remains of the lemon.

Carefully balancing his burden to prevent the always-painful possibility of a hot water burn, he handed the mugs to their respective recipients, ignoring Bert's whine about being neglected by his own ward.

"When I deem you worthy of doing favors for, I'll fetch you some tea." Harry retorted, sitting in his claimed seat and smiling at his guests. "I have to say, from what I've heard already, it's quite an honor to meet the two of you."

"Oh, pish posh! We've got nothing on you, Mr. Boy-Who-Lived." She leaned forward slightly. "Are you aware of just how many different records you've broken in your short little life?"

"…I'm not sure I want to."

Julius laughed softly. "I can understand that. I have no desire to have an actual number for the amount of wars I have fought in." his red eyes flickered over

Helen nodded empathically. "Likewise. There are some things better left mysteries."

"Unless someone wants to make a record of your locations!" Bert broke in indignantly, waving one of his notebooks with such force that a few sheets of paper floated out of it and landed on the floor amongst the tangled mess of notes forming there like a parasite.

"Of course we'll tell you what we know, sir." Helen meekly amended, and it was so strange for Harry to see a woman who obviously had a backbone of steel submitting to his guardian that he almost spilled his own tea.

Ron spotted his near-accident and stuck out his tongue mockingly. Harry subtly shifted the fingers on his mug to make the middle one very prominent, unaware that his immature retaliation was being observed by Julius.

"Well, to return to our previous work, were you present during the inception of Diagon Alley?" Bert asked, pen poised over his notepad.

"I wasn't, but Julius was."

"And I can assure you that the rumors about it originally being based around a whorehouse are true. There was originally just the whorehouse, but then the cousin of the madam running it decided to open up a pub next to it and then his sister's husband's nephew started a cloth outlet and it sort of snowballed from there. All of the original businesses in the alley were related somehow by owner." Julius shrugged. "It was pretty cool, actually, because a lot of them would look after each others shops and eat lunch together. It was very easy to get a job there."

"It's actually the first place we met." Helen broke in, taking a sip of her tea. "Of course we didn't fall in love at first sight, but we did appreciate knowing someone else when we met again on the battlefield during the wars against the Dark Lord Chester."

Ron and Harry simultaneously started choking on badly-restrained laughter.

"God, there was a Dark Lord named _Chester?!"_

Helen nodded sagely. "You'd better believe it, kiddo. There was a guy named Frederick who insisted on being called Freddie too. He was a real nightmare unlike Chester, though, so his reputation encompassed his pet name."

"What made Freddie so fearsome?"

There was a sharp edge to Julius' voice when he replied, "He pulled a Dracula and had everyone who so much as sneezed in his direction impaled or burned, depending on his moods, which were erratic since he was technically bipolar, although we didn't have that term yet."

"Oh."

0000000

End chapter 20

Alas, my darlings, I am once again skipping town and will be back…um…the 14th? I don't really know (no one tells me anything, goddammit!) which of course means no updates. Hope this holds you over!


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: I'M BACK! Thank you for all the reviews in my absence; they really lift my mood. I still can't believe I have almost 800! (faints)

CHAPTER 21

"I meant to let you know this earlier, Bert, but Emmett is coming over tonight sometime. He might not be alone." Harry burned himself again his tea and promptly cast a cooling charm on it, completely missing Emmett's entrance and subsequent observance of the magic. Bronze eyes went as wide as his eye sockets allowed. Did he just see Harry…? Was this the special genetic thing he was supposed to have? The sparkle of colored light had been very attractive and wafted the smell of Harry, amplified, into his nose.

"He's here, Harry." Ron murmured, smiling at their new guests, since Rosalie had tagged along and was currently fiddling with their nick-knacks. When her fingers came dangerously close to a cracked crystal ball haphazardly tucked between some collections of Lord Byron's and Browning's poems, Bert stiffened in his chair and called out,

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you, miss."

Her fingers flickered away from it and she straightened with a clear challenge in her 'power stance' of crossed arms and widely-placed feet. Her shoes were obviously some kind of expensive designer kind, and they sparkled in the low lighting of the hall. "Why not? Is there something wrong with it?"

Julius craned his head and his eyes flashed when he saw the ball. "I think there's something more than wrong with it. If you value your current existence, I would leave that alone." Turning to Bert with something akin to murder marring his once-calm face, he hissed, "Do you care to explain why you have an obviously-used weapon against my kind in this house?"

Bert didn't shrink back or try to mold himself with the couch cushions like Harry was expecting, instead curling back his upper lip just a bit to make himself look more feral. "Its none of your business, but since you asked so nicely-"

Ron snorted.

"I'll tell you. My particular line of work requires me to be prepared for the worst, and what you two did to poor Maximus has gotten around, so I brought it out in case another 'accident' happened." He sighed. "Listen, I don't want to antagonize anyone here, but you can't blame me for being prepared."

"Um…" Emmett started, looking almost nervously from the trio of red-eyed Vampires to Bert. "Should we come back later?"

Harry shook his head. "Not at all. Some kind of emergency is always going on around here. Have a seat if you can find one. Just toss the cats off the chairs if they're in your way, but watch out for those claws."

"It's not like they can puncture our skin." Rosalie snarked, and so Harry raised his eyebrows at her confidence. People like that needed to be taken down a notch, and he knew he was going to enjoy doing so to her. She needed a splash of cold reality, and that would most likely make her more bearable to socialize with.

"Considering that you are actually only possible through a complex occult mistake from some careless Demons a very long time ago, I wouldn't be so confident about your solidarity."

"Pardon?"

"How did you know about that?"

Rosalie and Helen spoke simultaneously, and suddenly became aware of one another.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You go first." Helen politely hand-waved Rosalie to get on with her outrage, sliding her body towards Julius to make room for the blonde next to her on the couch since the cats weren't moving from their spots, wrapping her arm around his shoulders like a man usually would have done.

Harry noticed and smiled faintly. He liked seeing traditional sexual roles 'reversed' merely because he got sick of seeing every couple acting the same way around each other because they had been trained by society to think that it was normal. Why didn't girls open doors for boys when they had their hands full, but nice guys were expected to do it for girls?

He huffed quietly, drawing looks from everyone present since no one had a normal set of hearing.

"I'm fine, I was just thinking about something." He explained, rolling his eyes and sending Ron a long-suffering look.

"As I was saying earlier," Rosalie spoke up, "What did you mean by us being mistakes of some kind? Do I look like a mistake to you?! How dare you insinuate-"

"Um, before this goes too far and I do something I might regret to shut you up, I'm just going to stop you right now." Harry said, clasping his hands around his raised knee. "The only reason Vampires are possible is because some Demons screwed up a long time ago, as previously said. You don't make sense scientifically or even within the normal boundaries of legal magic. You're just something that happened by accident and nobody bothered to fix it. It's no human's fault."

"…legal magic?"

Oh shit. Well, if you thought about it, it was only a matter of time before one of their big mouths leaked the 'secret', so fuck it all. They might as well own up for once.

"Yeah. Technically, Ron, Bert, those three, and I are all of Wizarding classification. The three people sitting there just happen to be Vampires on top of it all." He indicated the Vampires casually, watching the light dawn in Rosalie and Emmett's understanding.

"So…when you say 'special', you mean 'magical'?" Rosalie asked slowly, blinking and giving Emmett a very quizzical look as if to ask 'what the hell kind of mess have you gotten me into this time?'

"Basically."

"Oh wow."

"Yeah…but uh, if it isn't too much trouble, I would appreciate you guys not telling anyone. It's supposed to be a secret and currently I owe my government money for letting the cat out of the bag."

Idiot meowed piteously when he heard that, and Harry once again felt for sure that that cat was smarter than it let on.

"What can this magic of yours do?" Emmett asked cautiously, his body language mirroring the caution in Rosalie's.

"It's more a matter of what it cannot do, actually. We can kill, revive the nearly-gone, destroy, and create with it. There are limits to all of those, but that is the gist of it." Ron unexpectedly rattled, none of his usual characteristic awkwardness around Muggles present. Harry wet his lower lip, wondering how he was going to accept his best friend changing in unexpected and powerful ways. What else about Ron had changed since they had last held a personal chat?

He made a mental note to take Ron aside later and go over an inventory with him to make sure they still had each other's personal quirks right. For all he knew, Ron might have become a coffee drinker, an insomniac, developed a better sense of style, or even learned to follow proper social cues!

The same would have to be done for Hermione, now that he thought it through. And Luna too, although her changing was like water changing. She has many forms, but they were all basically the same substance, no matter how versatile.

All this thinking had made him feel wistful, and his eyes strayed longingly towards Ron, the current representative of the sort of half-life he'd left behind. He was surprised at the strength of the homesickness passing through him, but according to his psychology books, you never ever actually shifted your ideal of home completely from the original location, so there were times when he missed Privet Drive of all hellish locations.

"How do you use this magic?"

"Well, normally it is channeled through a wand, which is a tube of wood filled with a core of various materials that allows the energy inside of us to be translated into the physical world, but sorcerers and very strong Wizards can, in fact, perform magic without the assistance of wands or the less-common charm methods." Bert replied, his answer as concise as a textbook.

"Impressive." Emmett noted, looking at Harry with wide eyes. Harry, feeling that this might help break his drifting moods, winked.

Emmett flushed, his eyelids staining rapidly, and returned the gesture, tilting his head towards the door with a question in his eyes. Harry smiled and nodded vaguely, standing and announcing that he was getting some air; Emmett followed closely after expressing his desire to Rosalie via a powerful look.

The porch was quiet except for the sound of the rain beating gently on the roof of it and plopping into the pools of water scattered around their large plot of land. Walking silently along the length of it beside Emmett and subsequently circling to the back of the house where the rhododendrons ran wild.

"So…?" Harry murmured quietly, standing still and meeting Emmett's eyes. When Emmett didn't say anything at first, fixated on merely soaking in his aura, he sat on the swinging bench suspended from the ceiling. The chains were rusting dangerously, so he wracked his mind for an anti-rusting charm while Emmett started to inhale him.

Taking pity on his obvious state of agony, Harry slipped his hand into Emmett's and rested his head briefly against his shoulder. Emmett reached out with his free hand and guided it back to its resting place once he'd moved away, though, and hummed happily as Harry's fragile skull settled into the curve between his collar bone and neck. It felt very nice to have Harry lean on him, even though he knew that his self-control was flagging.

"If you want, I could give you something to drink." Harry murmured, enjoying the sensation of Emmett's skin warming through his own body heat. From what he had figured out, Vampire skin worked the same way an unused bed did; it was cold at first, but if you waited long enough, you could shiver yourself warm. A rock was also a fair example, and probably more accurate since Emmett wasn't exactly soft and comfortable like a bed.

"No, Harry, I wouldn't be able to stop. Vampires have an almost complete failure rate when it comes to stopping the flow of blood. Once we taste it, we keep going."

"That's definitely not true."

Emmett blinked. "Yes, it is. That's one of the most fundamental facts about Vampires. We cannot resist Human blood under most circumstances."

Harry snorted. "Then the Vampires you have encountered have got the weakest sense of self-control of I have ever seen." He sat up straighter, warming to his point. "First of all, blood actually has a very weak smell and it has to be in a certain state for you to even get sustenance from it, and finally, you only need so much because your body is flawed."

"What do you mean by flawed?"

Since he seemed genuinely curious and not angry, Harry continued, "Blood was never meant to be used as food, which is why the entire premise of Vampires is so unlikely to ever occur naturally. Hence why research was performed and we found out that you guys are supported on an explosion of demonic energy."

Emmett slowly let that sink in. "When you mentioned demons earlier, did you actually mean…demons? Like, for real? As in Satan, cults, Catholics and everything that comes with that?"

"What else could I possibly have meant? No one has actually met a demon in over 50 years now, and the wizard who did successfully and most recently went mad. The earlier attempts turned out a lot better, though, and it was officially found out that they screwed something up while trying to breed more Demons and lo and behold: Vampires happened."

"Wow."

"It's pretty screwed up to know that that kind of thing can happen."

"Tell me about it…" Emmett grumbled, uncomfortably fiddling with his hands. "I always thought we were just more highly evolved."

"Not a chance. Things are pretty much as good as it gets with humans. Think about it- we aren't fish or birds or lizards or true predators. We exist outside of the animal categories, and can do and think so much more than anything else. Why be selfish and want more than that when things are as lovely as can be expected right now?"

Emmett just stared, so Harry continued, the pitch of his voice low and insistent.

"Sure, bad things happen and we wonder why we couldn't fix it, why humans are so fucking fragile, but at the same time…at the same time, the very fact that we exist and have done so for so long is incredible. There are so many things out there that could and do kill us, not to mention the tools we willingly construct to balance out the things we don't have. We can move faster than any other animal with machines and walk on water and go into space! If we were truly moving towards a higher form rather than just learning more about our surroundings, I would be frightened to think of what else we could come up with. Any more amplification of human nature would be likely to cause a catastrophe."

Idiot wandered out onto the porch, sniffed Harry's trouser leg, and let itself be lifted and cuddled by Harry.

"I can't say I really agree with you, but you do have a very interesting perspective." Emmett finally spoke up, letting Idiot nibble on the edge of his fingernail. "Thinking of myself as a cosmic mistake is going to take some getting used to, though."

"Sorry to have thrown that bummer on you, by the way."

"I'm much happier knowing, so it's alright." Emmett weighed the consequences, muttered 'fuck it', and kissed Harry's forehead gently.

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End chapter 21


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: for my purist readers, if I have any, good news for you: I am actually researching twilight background and what-sits, so maybe I will have it more together from now on. This crossover does lean very much towards Harry Potter rather than Twilight, though, in case nobody noticed. And since I'm an idiot, I _just now _discovered that the reason Rosalie looks so familiar is because she's played by Nikki Reed, who also starred in one of my favorite films (Thirteen). So I had an official fangirl moment, even though it wasn't specifically about Twilight…I hope you're happy.

CHAPTER 22

"Your mouth is chilly." Harry noted absently, playing with Idiot's fur and letting the animal's purring throb through his ear drums; it was more pleasant than you would think a noise of that pitch could be (Idiot's 'voice' had a uniquely high pitch). It helped take his mind off the fact that Emmett wasn't breathing, the harshest reminder that he wasn't a human like him, but something made from the darkness and twisted beyond recognition before being thrust into reality.

No wonder the last person to meet a demon had gone mad if this was the sort of thing they just made out of nowhere and didn't even bother to fix.

"Sorry."

"S'alright. I kind of like it; it must be lovely for you to not have to worry about heating or cooling systems. They've really changed the way we react to weather now, I think."

Emmett considered that. "I hadn't thought of that before. Now that I think back, it was kind of nasty wearing all those clothes because it was proper and expected of you. I used to spend summers sweating all day long."

"Where were you from originally?"

"Tennessee."

"Oh wow…and have you always lived in the U.S.?" He sniffed Emmett's sweater, smiling at the designer perfume that wafted up from it, no doubt there to disguise the underlying scent of dead things and blood. He wondered which of the women in his coven most influenced what he wore, since all three of them looked the sort of woman to meddle in other people's business.

"Officially, yes. We've traveled through the dark spots around the globe when we needed to, though."

"As in Scandinavia and such?" Harry confirmed, tilting his head up to meet Emmett's eyes.

"Yes; we decided that this was the best place for us to stay right now, though, until some other Vampires came through here making trouble and we went off to deal with the one who got away."

"Oh? Is this the same group of Vampires that led to Bella busting her leg?"

Emmett paused, doing a rapid inventory of their previous conversations. "Did she tell you about that?"

"No, but I assumed she had had an accident related to her leg recently because of the slight limp she has. Since she was seeing Edward and you just said something about other Vampires, I assumed she was caught in the cross-fire."

"That's quite a conclusion, though." Emmett realized that he had been sitting incredibly close to a very tasty-smelling human for quite some time now and had made no move to crush or devour him. He hadn't known he could do this, so he pushed the limits and carefully slipped a large hand into the messy curls coiled around Harry's head in a facsimile of order. Tugging gently before soothing it, he smiled quietly to himself. This was nice. He didn't even want to bite Harry anymore. Sure, they barely knew each other in a normal sense of the idea and this was moving rather fast by the standards of his original time period, but Harry was really starting to grow on him.

"Thanks. Deductive reasoning- there's nothing like it."

Emmett chuckled. "It's a little unnerving, though. Alice can see the future sometimes, and hearing you talk about things like this gives me flashbacks."

"Yeah? Sorry."

"It's fine. I kind of like it…I like _you._"

Instead of reacting in anger or shock like he had been expecting, since they had technically only been on one measly date and all, Harry just smiled and continued to pet Idiot. After a moment, he said, "I'm pretty sure I like you too, as hard as it is for me to believe. You see, I got out of a very serious relationship some months back and I didn't think I would recover from that at all, much less so soon. Not to mention that the girl I was involved with was, of course, a girl."

He let this soak in. "So I'm the first man in your life?"

"Technically, yes. This doesn't mean I didn't have a crush or two on guys back at my old school, but it wasn't anything serious and I never acted on it. From what I've noticed, and you don't have to reply to this if you'd rather not, you and Rosalie used to be something. How long were you whatever it is you were?"

"From the day I opened my eyes and saw her sitting there- they say that my transformation process was pretty rough."

"She was the one who turned you?"

"No, but she is the reason I'm here today. I was mauled by a bear and she happened to stumble across my body when I was very close to death and carried me some tremendous distance to Carlisle and begged him to turn me."

Harry chewed his cheek thoughtfully, letting Idiot escape from his lap when the feline got bored. "And are these spontaneous acts of kindness common in her behavior or were you her one good deed in life?"

"Heh, Rosalie doesn't throw her sense of charity around, that's for sure, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have one. She comes across as mean, but she's been through a lot of shit in her existence and has trouble expressing her emotions to people she doesn't know very well. I mean, I didn't know for a long time just how much she held back until after we had been together for over a year."

He whistled quietly. "I see what you mean."

"What I'm trying to say is that Rosalie is a really good person, but she's not my soul mate or whatever so it didn't work out."

Harry nodded. "I understand. I used to think Ginny and I were meant to be, but I guess it was just leftover teenaged infatuation on my part and hero worship from her."

Smirking, Emmett pulled one of Harry's thick curls. There was a feather tied to the end of it. "Hero worship? What heroics have you performed to earn the love of a lady? Did she let you carry her handkerchief?"

"Oh shut up…and I'm not allowed to tell you what I did, but I am allowed to tell you that I am something of a national figure to my people due to some 'bounty hunting' I performed regarding the same man who murdered my parents. I might have mentioned him before."

"You did. Tom something, I think."

"Riddle; may he burn in horror for all eternity and the disgrace of his family never be forgotten."

Emmett paused in his light scratching of Harry's scalp, and Harry whined quietly, nudging his head up against his still hand. "That felt nice. Why did you stop?"

"Sorry, I was just kind of stunned by that last remark of yours. It was strangely graphic and I almost feel sorry for the guy."

"Don't be sorry. I have trouble referring to him while sober and not having a miniature hate-fest. In one way or another, he deeply hurt every single person I have ever cared about before moving here, and he deserves any divine retribution that can be given."

"Good thing he's dead. Remind me to never get on your bad side- you don't seem the type that would hesitate before staking me if I pissed you off."

Harry grinned. "Fortunately for you, I rather like you at the moment and as a general rule it takes some serious offences against my loved ones to truly call down my fury."

"The fury of a thousand burning suns?"

"That works well as a description, yes. Hermione's used that one before, I think, or it might have been Neville. You wouldn't think it when you've met both of them, but when drunk they sound strikingly alike with their word usages. I swear, it wasn't until a particularly wild new year's party that I started appreciating how much book-learning Neville's done."

"Who's Neville?"

"He's a school friend of mine. He has a major green thumb and is off researching plants- sorry to have started talking about him, but I'm getting drowsy and my head feels a little funny."

Emmett straightened. Living with Carlisle had given him wonderful instincts regarding the possibly-ill. "Do you have any pain? Any dizziness?" shifting his posture so he could gently hold Harry by his upper arm with one hand and tilt his chin up with the index finger of his other hand, he searched Harry's eyes for anything unusual and his face for flushing or paleness.

All he got was a sleepy smile. "I meant that I'm tired. I have school tomorrow, and after that work, and then Hermione is coming over so I should probably get to bed soon."

"Then I'll go get Rosalie and we'll take off. You should rest if you have that much to do." He stood, offering Harry assistance that was gratefully accepted, but with perhaps too much enthusiasm since the human lost his balance and fell briefly against Emmett's broad chest. He splayed his fingers against the warmed skin, sighing softly and nuzzling his nose into Emmett's shirt.

"You smell nice."

Swallowing, he retorted playfully, "I don't hold a candle to you."

"Oh really?"

"Really. If paradise was ever bottled up as perfume, your smell would be such." Tentatively, he returned his finger to Harry's chin and tilted his face up so he could see him properly illuminated by the faint starlight and the lamplight from the windows.

A moment passed, then another, and Harry shifted.

Finally, he said, "If you're going to kiss me, just do it. Don't be shy."

Not needing anymore encouragement, Emmett bent his head and pressed his mouth against Harry's lips, careful to keep his own pressed together lest the temptation to do inappropriate things to the teenager became too strong.

Harry made a little noise in the back of his throat, arching his body higher up to increase the pressure, parting his own mouth and trying to coax Emmett to do the same. He failed, since Emmett's principles were firmly resolved not to give in to his desire, but Emmett satisfied himself partially by first resting his hands on Harry's shoulders and then sliding them down to very low on his hips.

Someone cleared their throat behind them.

"Uh, not to interrupt your moment, but Helen and her cohorts are leaving now and Rosalie seems ready to leave as well." Bert had never looked more self-conscious, and Harry had a private laugh in his head despite his displeasure at being interrupted. He had been _this close _to getting Emmett to properly kiss him!

Licking his lips, he patted Emmett's chest and tilted his head towards the house. "Shall we go in? Good person on the inside or not, I wouldn't risk my life making Rosalie wait if I were you."

"Good point."

They headed inside, walking close beside one another, and Harry spent a moment trying to decide if their current relationship had an official title. He decided that no, it didn't and shouldn't because nonsense like 'reaffirming relationships' was for the insecure. He didn't want some kind of treaty from Emmett or profession of undying love, so why should he even be thinking about this?

He almost smacked his own forehead but decided not to on account of the ghostly voices of the Healers from St. Mungo's warning him about the ever-frightening possibility of him going mad; and to think that he had just managed to forget that tiny detail.

He ought to tell Emmett about that. Yeah. Definitely an important thing to let him know, before he got too attached and then they both got a nasty surprise.

Ron was engaged in an intense debate with Rosalie over magic versus science when they entered the room, Helen and her kind already absent, and neither bothered to acknowledge anyone else, completely focused on trying to prove the other wrong.

It was kind of scary, to tell the truth.

"Um…Rose?"

The debate paused. "Yes, Emmett?"

"Are you ready to go, or should I leave you here to tear this guy's ego to miniscule pieces?"

Rosalie considered this. "I think we can go." To Ron she snarled, "Be assured that we shall continue this discussion at a later date, human!"

"Pfft, whatever, lady."

Emmett was pleased to sneak a good-bye kiss from Harry, even though it only lasted half a second and he would have to put up with Rosalie's perverted references to cradle-robbing for the next several hours.

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End chapter 22

A chapter! Hooray!

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	23. Chapter 23

A/N: If anyone hasn't seen Coraline, I recommend it. It's incredible and very close to the book while still being awesome (I'm a major Neil Gaiman fan). By the way, sorry about my sporadic update schedule. My work has been kind of crazy lately. Sorry!

CHAPTER 23

Bella looked up from where she had been picking at her nail polish, the cheap and sparkle-ridden gunk peeling like old wallpaper off of her thumb. The noise that had caught her attention was Harry passing by her table in the library where she had set up camp to wait for him to be off his shift. He smiled and wiggled his fingers in her direction, making a face when she held up how much required math work she had left.

Today his other best friend from England, the girl, was arriving at his house and she had been able to feel his impatience and excitement all day. She was personally quite interested in meeting the girl who had managed to maintain a close relationship with someone as crazy and unpredictable as Harry for so long, and also it would be nice to meet a girl from England.

Not to mention that anyone named after an obscure Shakespeare character had to be interesting. From what little she had heard about her actual interests, Hermione was quite the book worm.

Turning her flagging interest back to her math, she vainly tried to make sense of her binomials. Hopefully Harry would be done before she could commit mental suicide. There was only so many maths someone could take when not naturally suited to it before doing something drastic, after all.

An endless half hour later, Harry came striding (not a common sight since he normally slumped) over to her desk and helped her pack up her things despite her protests.

"I have to get back into the habit of helping people get their books together. Hermione always pools far more material than she actually needs and is too proud to ask for help." He explained apologetically, catching an adventurous pencil before it could explore the floor. "Have you got everything?"

"Yeah, thanks to you." She smiled, noticing for the first time how child-like Harry looked right now. His usual jaded demeanor was softened by his excitement, and there was light in his eyes and color in his cheeks that she hadn't seen before. "You look very nice, by the way."

He tilted his head and blinked at her as they headed for the stairs. "Oh yeah?"

"Yes: you don't look half-dead for once." She bumped his shoulder with hers, laughing as quietly as she could. "There's some color to your face, too."

"Aw, I don't know what to say! You're so romantic." He cooed, batting his eye lashes and nodding a moment later to the receptionist as they paused just inside the doors to fully fasten their rain coats and pull their hoods down until they covered their eyes.

"Ready to face the floods?" Bella challenged, even though he couldn't properly see her face.

"Are you?"

"Just get your butt outside, Potter."

He whined, sticking out his lower lip. "I don't want to get wet! The bottoms of my trousers just got dry…"

"Don't be a bratty little kid. I'm from a much dryer place than this, and you're from England. You've got to be at least partially used to getting caught in the rain."

Sighing, he led the way outside. Once they were settled in the car and he had squeezed some of the water out of the handful of his hair that had managed to escape his hood and get soaked, he replied, "There's something decent about rain in England, though. It's expected, and almost part of our national identity. In this country, you have every kind of weather known to man and god knows how many different time zones. Not to mention that your public transportation is completely shit."

"Hey!"

"What? It's true and you can't deny it. The bus Bert and I caught from the city to here was nearly an entire bleeding hour late. Do you have any idea how bad of an impression that made on my tender young self?"

Bella snickered, risking taking a hand off the wheel to poke his nose. Since she had made more than enough to last Charlie, she was heading with Harry to his house to partake in the awkward labor sharing event that was cooking with three men. She somehow knew she would end up leading them like a mother duck leads her ducklings. Other than Harry, Ron and Bert were apparently almost hopeless when left to their own devices.

"No, Harry, I don't care to know how bad of an opinion that made you form. At least we don't have priggish attitudes about different accents."

He gaped at her. "We don't have priggishness about accents in England! And 'prig' is British slang, might I add. My voice is obviously more powerful than yours. You don't hear me going about calling people 'dude' and 'man'."

"Yeah, but that's probably because I don't either…dude."

Her horrendous attempt at a surfer guy voice made Harry laugh, and he briefly rested his forehead against her shoulder, unwittingly giving her a whiff of his unique scent.

"I'm no Vampire, Harry, but I have to say that you certainly have a very unusual smell."

"Oh, and that's not creepy at all."

She raised her eyebrows at him, parking the car in the muddy spot unofficially claimed as hers, the spot closest to the porch. "Why is it creepy for me to point out the way you smell? I like it, and besides, it's not creepy to tell me that I have nice hair or whatever, so why should pointing out how nice you smell be creepy?"

Instead of properly answering, he just smiled and shook his head. "You should become one of those social critics. Society makes the strangest things acceptable or unacceptable. If I ever go into higher education and have to write a thesis, it will be on the sheep-like nature of the modern human. Everywhere we look there are people telling us what to think and what to read: whatever is considered 'normal' at this point in time. Hell, people are even telling us what to wear, as if it matters in the grand scheme of things. I for one do not want to be immortalized for what I happened to wear to such-and-such occasion, but rather what I contributed to the furthering of mankind."

"I can definitely tell that you don't care about that last bit, the one about clothes." Bella pointed out, looking over his scruffy appearance. "And while I admire your mindset, I have to say that unfortunately most people do make their first impressions of you based on what you're wearing."

"Well then I must be pretty fucked in that department. Now you _have _to get to know me better and learn to see past my dirty shell."

"Oh, it's very dirty indeed."

He sighed, trying not to laugh. "Before we venture any further into the domains of pornographic conversation, let's get inside and make sure those two idiots don't flame the kitchen."

"Good plan." She unbuckled her seat belt, as faithfully trained by her father, and got out of the car. The ensuing sprint through the downpour into the safety of the porch was always an adventure, and she tripped on a slippery rock, skinning her knee badly on the lowest step.

Harry offered her a hand, pulling her to her feet unsteadily and guiding her inside. Catching their breath, he tugged off his coat and kicked off his shoes while she did the same before guiding her to the ground floor bathroom to clean her cut.

"Damn it, these are new pants! I didn't want to wreck them so soon." Bella grumbled while he sifted through their drawers for some bandages.

"I can't relate to that feeling, since I was raised wearing cast-offs and didn't really own anything new, but that must be awful." He absently commented, making a sound of triumph when he found the roll of white gauze. The end was shredded from where he had removed some to tend to his wounds from Bysshe's snacking, so he looked some more until he found not only the tape for it but some cosmetic scissors.

"Let's get you patched up."

She pulled back the piece of bloody toilet paper she had been pressing to her knee, using it to swipe up a bit of blood that tried to escape down her leg. He examined it from several angles before deciding that he couldn't fix it with her trousers on.

"Um…"

"What? What's wrong?"

"You're going to need to take your denims off."

She just looked at him a moment, not comprehending what he said. "Pardon?" it started to filter through her brain, and her cheeks went very red. Despite her increasingly 'mature' thoughts towards Edward when they were together, she was still technically untouched and had a very strong sense of modesty. "Oh…"

Holding his hands up as a gesture of neutrality, Harry appeased, "I promise not to look any farther than your knees, and if it's any comfort, I don't think I am even attracted to women before so this is completely safe."

Since she didn't look convinced enough, he continued.

"And if you feel weird about this at all, feel free to kick me someplace painful."

"Okay. Er, turn around?"

"Oh, yeah, sure, of course." Flipping around, he fiddled awkwardly with his shirt hem while she shuffled out of her jeans, wincing when the rough fabric rubbed harshly against her injured knee. It really was cut pretty badly.

"I'm ready."

"Alright." Turning back around, he swiftly measured the amount of gauze he would need, cut it, and applied it to the cut so quickly that Bella almost asked 'that's it?' once he pronounced her all done.

"Wow, okay. Thank you so much."

"Not a problem. Under the laws of karma, you now owe me a very nice favor."

"Fuck."

"Not quite."

She grinned, pulling her jeans back on. "Let's go into the kitchen and see if those children have managed to make a mess of things."

"Oh god, don't jinx it!"

Biting her lip, she considered the repercussions of her question before daring to ask, "Can you, you know, do jinxes? Since you're a wizard and all…?"

"Yeah! they're basically like pranks. Very low level spells."

"Such as?"

"There's one where you can make someone trip, another to erase ink, and of course the lovely kind that make your legs feel like jelly."

"Whoa, seriously?"

"Absolutely. Pranks at my old school were far more serious than window-soaping and posting of nasty notes that I see at yours."

"I totally understand that."

The kitchen was, remarkably, still intact, although there was a very interesting aroma coming from one of the many pots crowded on their stove. Harry spied a cake still surrounded by the remains of its wrappings from the supermarket, and also a plastic tube of icing with a hole cut in the top of it close by. In large sloppy letters, the words 'WELCOME HOME' had been written across the surface of the cake.

He smiled softly at Ron, and would have given him a hug if something hadn't made a sound remarkably similar to an explosion of the Twins'. A smaller pot on the stove was missing its lid, and bubbling dangerously. Crossing the room with far more aplomb than he should have been able to muster, Bert removed the pot from the heat and carried it swiftly outdoors.

Harry sighed. Hermione would be here in a scant fifteen minutes!

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Against all odds, when Hermione came tripping out of the fireplace (while Bella was conveniently in the restroom), there was an untainted dinner waiting for her and even some decent wine.

"Oh, you guys shouldn't have!" Hermione cooed, hugging Harry and Ron straightaway and then shaking Bert's hand vigorously. She looked much better than she had in the hospital, hair as crazy as ever and partially disguising the fact that Crookshanks was sticking out of her backpack and playing with her hair pins.

Bella came shyly into the room, sticking to the side while they finished their pleasantries. She couldn't help but notice the way Ron's eyes remained on Hermione, but not with even a hint of the same underlying ferocity that had been in Edward's, and the sweetness in the way he touched her gently along her arms and eventually tucked an arm around her waist.

"You must be Bella!" Hermione noticed her, crossing the distance between them and embracing her. "It's so nice to finally meet you!"

"Oh, uh, likewise!" she hadn't been expecting this Hermione girl to have such strange spurts of energy. Their was an almost fanatical gleam to everything about Hermione, and she was reminded of how mother Theresa or Joan of Arc must have been. It was kind of scary, but at the same time she had never been happier to meet someone in her life. She dearly hoped that she wouldn't insult her, since in the spare five minutes that she had been watching her, Hermione managed to display startling intelligence.

"Well, are we going to eat the food I smell or are we turning Vampiric?"

They laughed, and Bella was reminded that Hermione must know about them too since she was supposed to be a witch.

When she left Phoenix to live here with her dad, she didn't expect to meet Vampires, or to find out that old friends of her family were Werewolves, but she reconciled herself to that. Wizards, however, were something completely different.

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End chapter 23

This was written in less than two hours. Be proud of me!


	24. Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

Harry risked a bite of the faintly pink-colored soup and sighed with relief when he discovered that the reason for the coloring was the cut beets floating amongst the other miscellany of vegetables.

"So Hermione, have they always been like this or did their personalities flip?" Bella asked, taking a bite of her bread. It was some kind of soda bread and despite the crumbly nature of it, it was quite possibly the best bread she'd ever tasted.

Ron tossed a pea onto Harry's plate and feigned innocence when Harry snarled at him.

"Pretty much, yeah; the biggest change has been the way they've adjusted to being adults and how they've handled some…some bad things we've been through." Hermione answered, thoughtfully looking Harry and Ron over.

"B-bad stuff?" Bella set down her butter knife. "Like what? Bullies?"

Against his will, Harry laughed, choking on his soup and spilling some of it down his shirt. While Ron patted his back and poured him a glass of water, Hermione handed Harry a clean napkin to dab at his shirt with.

"Not quite, Bella."

"Yeah, although Malfoy _was _involved so technically bullies did have something to do with it." Ron pointed out, grin fading slightly as he remembered what the legal process had done to Draco after the war. Needless to extrapolate, the heir to the Malfoy fortune was barely holding on.

She shrugged, fiddling with a piece of her hair. "You guys can tell me: I'm good at keeping secrets."

"Except that one about your boyfriend being a Vampire." Harry pointed out, laughing when she made to kick him under the table. She would have gotten him, too, if he hadn't decided to sit on his legs.

"He's my _ex- _boyfriend, by the way, and it isn't giving away a secret when you already know what the secret is." She sent him a reproving look. "So my record with you is still clean. Now are you guys going to tell me or not? You don't have to, but don't leave me hanging here, thinking I've got a chance when I don't."

Harry sighed. "I can't tell you the whole thing, but since you seem really interested, the bare bones of it are that we were basically participants in a war between our kind. It ended recently and we lost some people. It wasn't a good experience all around."

Bella took a sip of her water to stall for time, in case he had anything to add to that. He was silent, and everyone at the table looked a little tense, so she spoke up, "Oh wow…that's horrible. Is that why you carry a knife?"

"You noticed that, huh?"

"Well, yeah. You used it today to cut off a loose string on your sleeve, remember?"

"I forgot about that."

"Its fine, but I was wondering how you got that past the metal detectors at school. I've gotten stopped for metal bits on my shoes before, so I know they work."

"Magic." Ron and Harry answered simultaneously, and then looked at each other strangely.

"How did you know about that, Ron?"

Ron sighed. "In case it escaped your high-and-mighty notice, we sleep together now and are practically on top of each other when you're not off cramming your head with ultimately useless knowledge or shuffling books."

Hermione looked up at the mention of books, turning to Harry with something frighteningly akin to hunger in her eyes. "You shuffle books?"

Since seeing the following conversation might scar him for life, Bert stood and cleared the empty salad with a smile, disappearing into the kitchen. He did not come back, but some of the cats came into the room, obviously aiming for the food and had to be fended off before they could mutilate anything.

Momentary distraction gone, Hermione turned her gleaming eyes back onto Harry, who hurriedly took a large mouthful of rice. Chewing and then swallowing carefully, he spoke, "I got a part-time job at the library here, and I'm saving up to buy a car."

"What kind of library is it?" Hermione asked eagerly, tapping her foot rapidly under the table. It would seem that she needed an outlet of some kind for her sudden energy rush.

"Um, it's kind of shitty, to tell the truth. Very eighties, and the selections are pitifully small, but I guess that's what ought to be expected since this is a very small town and there's always next to no one in there."

"That's horrible! Reading is such a joy, when I have time to do it for fun rather than research, and I really think that too many people seriously deprive themselves by not taking advantage of the opportunity. Before the printing press, the amount of work people spent constructing and collecting books was immense! Has this been forgotten?"

No one answered, and Ron slurped his soup by accident, earning a quick, nervous laugh from those seated around the table. Hermione's intensity was like electricity: attractive from a distance and fascinating as well, but very unnerving at the same time. Behind them, Bert craned his head around the corner of the kitchen, surveyed them, and decided it was safe to come back now.

"What are you kids talking about?"

Harry sent him a withering look, getting a snicker from Hermione and Bella. "The things only kids understand, of course, never mind that Hermione here is seventeen and therefore not technically in the same category as us mere humans."

Bert sniffed, tasting his wine and humming in his throat when he realized the quality of it. "In that case, Hermione, would you like some of this?"

Hermione shrugged. "My doctors said I wasn't supposed to over-do it, but I think a simple glass of wine can't hurt…so, yes. Wine would be lovely."

"Good. I hate drinking by myself-"

"Don't read too much into it." Ron snapped, famous temper flaring at the possibility of a rival. Under the tablecloth, Harry gently covered Ron's clenched fist with his palm and squeezed it. Ron relaxed some, smiling apologetically at the girls sitting across from them. Bella's eyes were wide but Hermione seemed completely calm. She smiled and winked at Ron, nudging his leg under the tabletop.

"Who wants dessert?" Bert suddenly asked, ruining the sort-of calm that had been floating through the teenagers. Bella jumped.

"There's dessert too?" Hermione gaped. "You guys really didn't have to!"

"It's no problem. You have been 'out of commission' for a while so this dinner is more than a welcome." Harry pointed out.

"Oh, so this is partly a 'happy you're alive' get together?"

"Absolutely." Ron touched her hand, looking a mixture of nervous and adoring. She clenched his fingers, giving into their little moment.

The other people at the table looked away or down at their food uncomfortably, and finally Harry met Bella's eyes and rolled his own, mouthing 'saps'. Bella nodded vigorously. You would think they were in one of those cheesy romantic movies, the kind with candlelit dinners and hotel rooms coated with rose petals obviously far past the price range of the protagonists.

Bert rose from his chair quietly and went back into the kitchen to retrieve the cake. Now seemed as good of a time as any to drop the surprise on his newest house guest; way back when he was first assigned the very special job of babysitting the unstable Boy-Who-Lived, he hadn't dreamed that it would somehow develop a life of its own and turn him into the overseer of the entire Trio (and possibly more)!

He came back into the room, cake balanced in his hands, and set it down in the middle of the table. Hermione cooed over it and accepted her large slice gratefully, digging into it like the rest of the men, seemingly without a care for her figure.

Shrugging, and thinking of the famous saying regarding doing what the Romans do when in Rome, Bella copied her.

"So Bella, tell me about your family; have you got any siblings? What are your parents like?" Hermione encouraged, breaking off her much extended personal universe moment with Ron, much to his disappointment and everyone else's relief.

Hermione always did have a knack for good timing, after all, and Harry was sure that, should she ever have children, she would always know where they were and when they had been bad.

"I'm an only child, so no siblings to speak of. Well, my birth parents are separated, and my mom recently got married to this guy named Phil. They're great together and really happy, so I am happy for them. I actually came here to stay with my dad so they can tour with Phil's baseball stuff, and my dad is the chief of police here by the way."

Hermione nodded, her near-motherly aura sweeping off of her and surrounding Bella with such good will that she could have sworn Jasper was hiding in a closet someplace manipulating her. This certainly explained how she had remained friends with Ron and Harry for so long without tearing her hair out- from what she had noticed, the two most likely to clash were Hermione and Ron rather than the boys with one another. "That's great. I like it when people get happily re-married, since I believe it is possible to divorce and still be happy. Some people just write divorce off completely without taking into consideration that some people just aren't meant to be together. Has your father found someone new?"

Bella looked down. "That's the problem: he's still in love with my mom, and I think he always will be."

"That's awful." Hermione sympathized, touching Bella's shoulder.

Bella nodded, taking another bite of her cake. Horrible handwriting aside, the cake was really good. It was some kind of strawberry-chocolate variety, and she resolved to ask Bert for the recipe before she left. She wasn't really the baking type, but this would be worth the hassle of extra work. Besides, it would help her gain some much-needed weight and hopefully stop the worried looks she had caught her dad giving her recently on the few occasions they saw each other.

"So what about you? Harry said something about you not really having any family…?"

"Then Harry would have been right. My parents aren't an option, and I don't want to be a burden to any of my non-magical relatives. I never spoke to them before, and seeking them out just to ask them to kindly shelter me and raise me for half a year until I turned eighteen didn't make sense. Not to mention that I am technically of age amongst our own people."

"I didn't realize that. Does…does this mean you're leaving next year, Harry?"

He nodded. "Yeah, though I wouldn't exactly have anything to go back to now that my mates are here, and Luna has officially promised to drop by and scout out the location sometime soon."

"Luna is another friend?"

"Yeah, though she's a bit loopy." Ron answered for Harry, grinning at some of his memories.

Bella blinked. "Officially, or is she just weird?"

"Both, kind of. Luna is many things all at once, and it never makes sense when you try to explain it; you have to meet her, and you will if I have anything to say about it. I think you'd get on well, and Luna told me that she wants to meet more Muggles because she doesn't feel she knows enough about your customs."

"So she'll be even weirder and socially-awkward than you guys?" Bella laughed, ducking the poorly-aimed pea from Ron.

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Once Hermione settled into her room and they had all said their very long goodnights, since its hard to say goodbye when you're tipsy, which they became once Bella took off to go home, Harry led Ron up to their shared quarters.

Lying on his back, Harry watched the moonlight move across his ceiling from between his window curtains, now making some part of his room gleam, now another. It lulled him into a sort of half-sleep, but he was startled out of it when he heard the sound of someone tiptoeing into their room wearing socks.

Subtly, oh-so-carefully, he turned his head in the direction of the feet, pretending he was sound asleep, and spied Hermione shaking Ron's shoulder. When he woke, he pulled back the covers of his bed and let her snuggle in beside him.

Rearranging themselves, Harry could see Ron's arm wrapped loosely around Hermione's pajama-clad stomach. He nuzzled her shoulder affectionately, and she smiled, her teeth glinting in the dark.

Harry smiled, happy to see them expressing their affections and not feeling even slightly awkward about them doing this a mere few feet from himself. He didn't believe that you should hide your feelings when you had them, since doing so had created such a mess for him regarding Cho Chang.

This, of course, meant that he would have to tell Emmett next time he saw him that he felt more than a mere liking for him. He was decidedly fond of the big lug of an undead creature.

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End chapter 24

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	25. Chapter 25

A/N: in case I didn't tell you guys this, I have adored Robert Pattison's acting for years (whoo for Vanity Fair!) and watched every interview I could find…until recently. So I watched one, and he said something about people asking him if people were throwing themselves at him, which he denied. It was hilarious!

So happy to have gotten that off my chest; Rob's a lovely person and always will be.

CHAPTER 25

Lucius clutched his chest as he coughed, feeling like his insides were going to cut loose from their places and soar up his throat if he hacked just one more time. The waves of coughing had been getting steadily worse as the days went by, and now he knew for sure that his blood was infected with the sickness.

The sickness had no name, no known cure, and it had immediately afflicted every single man who had pledged his life to the Dark Lord the day he was slain by the insignificant Potter boy.

Half of their scant numbers were felled by the sickness the first day of misery, and the other slowly died off or rotted their way to their graves until their journey was unduly hastened by the traitorous Vampire. He had known that hiring a Vampire to hunt Potter was a risky venture, with only a fifty-percent success rate, but he had been willing to take that risk for the sake of avenging his Lord. And now that fifty-percent failure chance hadn't just occurred, it had gone straight into the negatives in the form of a psychotic Vampire attack responsible for his new status as the last remaining remnant of the Dark Lord's true followers. The fair-weather type quickly switched sides long ago, so he could expect no assistance from them.

He was utterly alone in his desire to kill Potter, and yet he did not feel disheartened. If anything, knowing that he had no one to distract him or get in his way made him ache even more to feel the boy's slender neck between his fingers, or the squelch of his insides after he'd gutted him.

To make things better, despite the sickness slowing his body and clouding his thoughts, he'd been able to make use of his inside knowledge of the Ministry of Magic to penetrate its walls.

Within them he hoped to find some clue as to where they'd hidden Potter. He was so close he could taste it.

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A shudder ran down Harry's spine even though he was practically buried under his covers. Starting awake, he looked around for the source of his sudden conscious state but couldn't find any reason for it. Glancing at his alarm, he groaned when he saw that it hadn't even gone off yet.

Resigned to his sleep deprivation since he felt far too hyped up to even think about lying back down, he crawled out of bed, passing Ron's empty bed now that he had unofficially migrated to Hermione's room. The shower further shocked him into wakefulness, and he decided that he had enough time to linger, for once.

Stepping out and drying off his face, he met the eyes of his reflection in the glass and started.

Moving closer, he carefully ran the tips of his fingers down the bones of his face, turning his head one way and then the other. Since when had his pudge disappeared? He'd never been given even the faintest opportunity to get fat, and lord knows that the 'hero's wanderings' hadn't exactly been the best way to pack on the pounds, but surely his face hadn't always been this bony?

Any traces of child-like softness were missing entirely, leaving him with an almost unattractively bony face. It was kind of upsetting, but at the same time it made him look at least five years older than sixteen so he supposed maybe there were some upsides to it.

Someone knocked on the bathroom door, so he hurriedly gathered his things and wrapped his towel around his hips. Opening it, he found a half-awake Hermione dressed only in a pair of underwear and one of Ron's old shirts drooping on the other side. She smiled vaguely at him, poked his growing abdominal muscles teasingly, and shut the door in his face.

Shrugging it off, he walked back to his room and got dressed in his last clean pair of trousers. He would need to nag Bert about that to remind him of his house-wifely duties; since there was no way in hell he was going to trust Hermione or Ron with that. When given a cookbook, Hermione could muddle her way through it thanks to Potions classes, but Ron was hopeless without magic or clear instructions.

Today was not just any day, though. It had been a week since Hermione's welcoming dinner, and since then he'd come home from work and consistently found Bella sitting on the couch surrounded by Hermione's research materials (she was helping Bert with something to do with the space-time continuum and the living room was now coated with books and paper scraps covered with her tiny handwriting) and giggling about something.

What was going to make today special, though, was something unrelated to Bella. Today was the day that Luna was supposed to arrive, although her sense of time was sketchy so she might show up at this time next year.

Excitement flared through him despite this possibility, and his hands almost shook as he pulled a comb missing most of its teeth through his hair a few times. It had no effect, but he didn't notice for once, too high to care whether or not he was able to alter his natural look. He tugged his hair back tightly, pulling it into something of a top knot no matter how ridiculous it made him looked, and went over to his desk.

His school bag was dumped across the chair, and he went over his school assignments, scribbling down the remaining bit of a two-page review on why dictators were so compelling. That finished, he filled out a math quiz for next week and then headed downstairs, bag in tow, to make some coffee and see if Bert was alive yet.

The kitchen was abandoned, and he set to work organizing the coffee maker and grinding the beans, humming under his breath some new song that Bella was obsessed with and always playing on her radio.

Since he was lost in his own personal universe, he missed Hermione coming into the kitchen, now wearing a loose cotton skirt with Ron's shirt and a pair of socks since the house was always chillier than comfort desired. It wasn't until she gently touched his shoulder to get him to move out of the way of the drawer holding their silverware that he noticed her, and they hugged briefly by way of greeting.

"'Morning, 'Mione. How're you feeling?"

"Well, not that you want to know this, but I started my period. I might be a little funny from here on out."

Harry paused in mid-chew of his toast, giving her a thoughtful look. "Do you have, you know, supplies for that?"

Hermione shrugged. "Not exactly, but I'll just wait until later when the rain is supposed to let up to walk to the supermarket and buy some."

"When is that supposed to happen?"

"In about two hours. According to the weather reports, we're supposed to get some sunlight."

He nearly dropped his toast, which would have been nasty since one side was slathered with sticky jam that would have made quite a mess. "Whoa, really? I've been here almost two months and didn't see so much as a break in the cloud cover!"

She laughed. "I guess it's practically call for a celebration, yeah?"

"Sure, why not? We can make a cake or something for Luna when she comes over."

"_If_ she comes over." Hermione pointed out wryly. "Remember what happened at Fleur and Bill's wedding?"

Harry grinned. "Which part of their wedding? The part where I was wearing a dress, Mr. Lovegood wearing the emblem of Grindelwald, or the itsy-bitsy incident of Luna kissing Bill for 'good luck and fertility'?"

"I forgot about you in the dress, but I was referring to the 'kiss of fertility and thousands of babies'."

"The same kiss we are pretty sure was spurred on by one too many glasses of champagne and her wanting to get her little girl crush out of her system once and for all." Harry concluded, fetching a pair of mugs now that the coffee machine was done making the much needed liquid caffeine for them.

"Oh yes. That was still the best wedding I have ever been to, might I add." She let him hand her the first mug and opened their fridge to search for cream while Harry got the sugar bowl from its cabinet.

Sitting side-by-side at the table, they doctored their coffee and decided to wait for it to cool the normal way instead of expending magic on it. He lit a cigarette and she silently pinched her fingers together and pretended to take a drag from them to indicate that she wanted one.

He gave her a stick and his lighter, looking down at the swirls of cream in his coffee while she set herself up and returned his lighter to him.

"Fuck, I missed this."

"And I wasn't aware you used that word, Miss Granger." He grinned at her, testing the temperature of his coffee by dipping the tip of his finger in it briefly. Since it didn't melt the skin from his bones like lava would, he considered it worth a taste.

His tongue was only mildly burnt, and he nodded to a zombie-fied Bert when he stumbled into the kitchen, feeling along the walls and counters for balance as he made his way to the coffee pot, snagging a mug along the way. It was a testament to his personal routine that he didn't drop it on the way to the caffeine itself, which he consumed immediately after mumbling a cooling charm.

"So what are you kids talking about?"

"Luna"

"Harry in a dress."

Bert blinked. "In a…dress? Like, an actual gown with the frills and the like?"

Harry rolled his eyes, poking Hermione harshly in the ribs for her traitorous slip-up. "There weren't any frills on it, just lace. It was made of heavy wool, and I wore it under the Poly-juiced guise of a distant great-aunt or something of Ron's. I sweated my way twenty pounds lighter during that ceremony."

"I wasn't aware you could get twenty pounds off of your skeleton of a body without melting some bones." Bert muttered, finishing his coffee and pouring himself another cup. "Luna is coming tonight, yeah?"

"Its supposed to be late afternoon, but she might show up anytime so keep your eyes peeled and your gold hidden."

Bert raised his eyebrows. "Why the hidden gold bit?"

"Luna's Patronus might be a rabbit, but if she had to be an animal, I think a magpie would be the only thing to cover her fascination with everything that glitters or looks pretty. There's a reason for her hair beads and feather earrings, you know."

"I hadn't realized, and I wasn't aware that she wore such things around her face since I haven't had the pleasure of meeting her yet."

"Oh, and meeting Luna is always such a pleasure." Hermione sighed happily, sipping her coffee. "I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that she's single right now and interested in older men."

Bert flushed. "Miss Granger, that was inappropriate!"

"Was it?" Hermione smirked knowingly at him, her little-known cunning side baring itself. "I would think the only thing inappropriate right now is what just went through your mind."

"Pardon?" He squeaked.

"Harry isn't the only one with legilimens experience."

Bert shivered. He wasn't a stupid man by anyone's measuring, but sometimes he was sure that the intelligence and forethought Hermione displayed went beyond what humans should be able to perform. She truly was extraordinary.

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Emmett looked at himself askance, reaching up to adjust a cowlick of hair that had popped up after several hours of being clutched against Esme's side while she watched re-runs of some old TV show and got bored enough to pet his hair. He liked to be petted as much as anyone else in his family, but his hair tended to become bothersome after being fiddled with.

Finally getting it to go back into its place, he turned to find Rosalie standing there with her arms crossed over her ample chest.

"You wouldn't happen to be sneaking off, would you?"

"What will you do to me if I say yes?"

"Tear your nose off."

"Then no, I'm not going anywhere."

She smiled. "Good! I need you to come with me on a little errand."

"What kind?" He asked warily. When Rosalie used an innocent word like 'errand', you could be sure it was just a cover for something far more insidious. Rosalie wasn't one of the most fearsome members of their coven for no reason, after all. Not even Jasper's capacity for cruelty was a fair match for her sheer perseverance and will power, will power that Emmett was convinced could move mountains if she considered them worth bothering about.

"The hunting kind."

He started to relax, but then she continued.

"Bysshe hunting, to be perfectly exact."

"Uh…"

"No objections. I need your man-power in case he proves unfriendly."

The horrible thing was that there was absolutely no way to say no to her, and so it was that Emmett's romantic plans to stalk Harry at a time when all decent people were asleep were ruined.

Perhaps it was for the best, since Luna might have tried to capture him with a net if he ran into her; not that he knew that, of course.

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End chapter 25

Not only is this the 25th chapter, I have also passed the 800 REVIEW MARK! You guys are far too good to me.


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: So sorry I didn't update for a while! I had a really busy weekend, and my sister's fiancée is staying with us. Things are a little crazy at the moment.

CHAPTER 26

Since a mere second ago she had been moving almost too fast to see, Rosalie's sudden stop in a clearing deep within the trees surrounding Forks not claimed by the Werewolves caused Emmett to sprint straight past her and several thousand feet before realizing that he was now alone. Re-tracing his steps, he found Rosalie sniffing the air subtly, eyes narrowed.

"Did you catch his scent?"

She twitched when his voice broke the silence, and shook her head. "He doesn't have a smell, remember?"

He sighed. "Then why are we here? Do you need to take a break or something?"

"No, I smell nicotine."

Understanding dawned across his face. From what little he knew about the other Vampire, he was very close to the chain-smoking category of smokers, which meant that it was highly likely that he was the one this far into the woods having one.

They headed towards the smell silently, sticking to the high tree branches and moving from branch to branch like squirrels until they saw him. He was seated on the forest floor, just over the border into Quileute territory, and reading some kind of manual with brightly-colored gilt letters spelling out 'Advanced Transfiguration Tips for the Serious Student' while he smoked.

Whatever they had been planning, it didn't involve him out of their sphere of influence.

"Well hello there!" He greeted, looking up from his book, features lit dimly by the stars above them (for once it was a clear night) and the golden glow from the lit end of his cigarette. "Can I help you two with something?" a sly smile curved across his lips, baring the glinting rows of teeth that somehow seemed more menacing than their own. "Or did you just miss me?"

Rosalie's eyes reddened and Emmett nearly reeled from the sight. Not once in their very long relationship had he ever been able to make that happen! What the hell happened to his gung-ho girlfriend who couldn't get embarrassed about anything?

"Don't flatter yourself so much. I have some questions for you about magical Vampires."

"Then why don't you two come have a sit? Oh, and I don't promise to answer honestly if I find the question to be too personal, and I'll let you know if I'm not allowed to tell you the answer."

Rosalie nodded and leaped from her branch to the ground, sitting Indian-style without much further ado. Emmett followed suit, settling next to her but then moving slightly farther away when a root started digging viciously into his bottom. He might be a Vampire, but why endure petty discomfort when you could avoid it?

"That's fine."

He raised his eyebrows while surveying the good 30 feet between them. "Is this some kind of power trip? You know, make me come to you and all that rubbish?"

"Nothing so ridiculous; you're on the land portion claimed by the Werewolves, and we're not allowed on it: its one of the clauses of our treaty with them." Emmett replied, grinning at the thought of Rosalie actually pulling a power trip. That would have been amusing to watch, since Bysshe didn't seem the type to submit unless he sub-consciously wanted to.

"Oh wow. Well then, I guess I _will _come to you." Gathering himself, marking his book with his finger, he crossed the small open spaces between the trees to sit directly across from Rosalie, resting his back against a pine. "So what do you want to know?"

"Are you at all associated with the Volturi?"

Bysshe burst out laughing. "Those bigots? As if! They don't know the first thing about _real _Vampires, and of course I have issues with authority."

"Issues?" Emmett wondered why he'd asked a moment later. Did he really want to know? From what little he knew of Bysshe, it couldn't have been good.

"They might be pretty close-mouthed most of the time, but in case you guys heard about that very mysterious incident involving all of them inexplicably turning deaf and speaking gibberish for six months…that would be courtesy of me getting revenge for them attempting to tell me what's what. They haven't bothered me since."

"So are the Volturi magical or not?"

"They're not, they're just enhanced, and they don't know about magic either, so I'd appreciate you keeping your mouth shut about this. My prank might have given them a very big clue, though."

"You can do things like that with your magic?" Rosalie whispered, looking a little afraid but it was mixed with fascination.

"Yes, but the deaf bit wasn't legal. We're not supposed to obstruct someone's senses without their knowledge or permission, but they made me very upset and they've been riding high horses for close to two thousand years, so they were long over-due for a knock-down in the ego department."

"Speaking of thousands of years, how old are you?" Rosalie asked.

"I haven't actually calculated that in a long while, and we didn't keep track of time in my village when I was turned, so it would only be a rough estimate at the most…" He trailed off, eyes to the sky and lips moving silently while he held up his fingers, seemingly counting something. "I'd say I'm roughly…shit…anyways, I was born around 29 BC."

They merely stared at him.

"Roughly. You guys do the math if you want specifics."

"Holy shit!"

After their initial shock, they nervously changed the subject and Emmett let himself be subjected to the boredom of watching other people have a good time.

He wondered what Harry was up to.

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It was approaching ten o'clock at night, and Bella was pulling her arms into the sleeves of her coat, about to head home before her father went crazy. She'd been hoping to catch a glimpse of this Luna girl, the latest of Harry's British 'invaders', but it was getting really late at night.

"So sorry you didn't get a chance to meet her." Harry apologized, hugging her and opening the door for her, pressed slightly against the frame when Ron and Hermione crammed themselves into the entrance area to say goodbye as well.

"It's not your fault. You did warn me she can be…um…"

"Unpredictable." Hermione supplied.

"Yeah! Anyways, good night you guys and see you tomorrow, Harry."

"Tomorrow." He smiled and nodded, Ron's elbow dangerously close to crushing the left side of his ribcage. She smiled back and then left the house, nearly tripping on the steps but recovering in time, calling out,

"I'm okay!"

They laughed, and Hermione shut the door. Bert had practically hibernated in his room all day after Hermione's little half-joke at his expense that morning regarding Luna's dating choices, so he wasn't there to notice them rifling through the pantry, trying to find something decent to drink now that they didn't have to hide the urge.

"Ugh, why don't you guys have any proper lager?" Ron grumbled, shoving a bag of rice to one side so he could better examine the date of a box of fancy breads that had been hiding in a corner. "Do you think he would mind if we ate these?"

Harry waved a hand. "Eat whatever the hell you want, and the reason we don't have anything normal to drink is because I'm not old enough to buy it here and Bert doesn't drink beer. Not to mention that getting Bert to go anywhere, especially to perform a duty, is almost too much trouble to bother with."

"Would this have anything to do with his aversion to clothing other than his pajamas and bathrobe?"

"Oh, it has everything to do with that. And there's the lazy thing."

Ron's brow furrowed even as he finally closed his fingers around the neck of a spiked cider bottle. "Why is he an Unspeakable, then?"

Instead of Harry answering, however, Bert did, dressed in all the glory of the previously mentioned sleep wear. "I became an Unspeakable for several reasons. It has been my family's business for years, and before the Department existed, we held many secrets and solved mysteries without pay. Another reason is that the hours are extremely flexible, allowing me to sleep in as late as I want when there isn't an emergency and of course the work is fascinating, so it holds my attention like no other profession has managed to. Is that satisfactory enough for you, Weasley?"

Ron flushed, feeling ashamed but not knowing why, and nodded. "Yes, sir."

Bert grinned. "And don't call me sir, kid."

"I am almost legal, dammit!"

Just before a real row could break out (Ron's pride had always been delicate, and the war might have given him a thicker skin, but that was no guarantee), a sound like an explosion came from the living room. Everyone froze, and then whipped out their wands, charging into the central room of the house to find-

Luna coughed delicately from under her massive pile of luggage, blonde hair looking more bizarre than ever. To make matters worse (or better, depending on your point of view), she wasn't exactly dressed properly.

Harry believed that the term for what she was wearing was dishabille, except she was wearing about half of that and seemingly completely unaware of the fact.

Perhaps it was for the best that Bella had gone home.

"Hello, everyone! Am I late?" she chirruped, sounding uncannily like Alice Cullen, or the other way around.

"A bit, yeah, but its fine. How about I help you up?" Harry offered, nervously picking his way through the small and faintly steaming bags that had fallen everywhere there was room on the floor. Reaching her, he lifted a trunk off of her back and gave her his hand.

Once standing, he caught sight of the thick layer of bandages wrapped multiple times around her middle.

"Did you hurt yourself, love?"

"Oh, that…" She patted herself down vaguely, thankfully re-arranging what looked like several belly dancer's skirts so she was covered for the most part. Amongst the beading and silk was a kilt, too, and it clashed awfully with the ensemble. "It looks worse than it actually is; besides, I swallowed an entire bottle of pain killer so I just feel pleasantly numb."

"Well, what happened? Did you get mauled by something?" He gently touched a scrape down her cheek that had some stitches along the center. She covered his hand with her own, smiling beatifically.

"Your hand is nice and cool. Do you mind keeping it there for a wee bit?"

"Not at all. But you dodged my question!"

"Yes, Harry, because I don't want to answer it and I would very much like to have my luggage placed in its area of storage so I can make sure some very important things have not been broken or jostled too badly."

His eyes widened. He should have known Luna would come bearing 'gifts'.

"Not a problem. Let's get you upstairs."

"Thank you. Oh, hello Ronald!" she hugged him tightly, and then did the same to Hermione. "Hello Hermione! You've gotten much thicker since I last saw you even though you were ill for so long." Her smile seemed to fill their minds with the usual partial-fog. There was just something not-quite-earthly about Luna, and they still hadn't figured out why ever after all this time.

"Er, thanks?"

"You're welcome. I was worried somebody was going to pack you up in their suitcase, or that the wind would blow you away."

"Ah." Hermione winced. She'd developed a good level of tolerance for a myriad of people types over the years out of necessity, but Luna still threw her sometimes.

"And where is the owner of this house? I brought a gift for him." She looked around until her eyes landed on Bert, who was trying to slink unnoticed from the room. "Are you a giant House Elf or do you own this lovely place?"

He resigned himself to his fate, and tried not to stare at the teenager's sheer blouse as he shook her hand. It was half the size of his own, and partially-covered with ink stains and some turquoise rings.

"I hope you like wine."

A sense of foreboding filled Harry's nerves as he stacked Luna's trunks in his bedroom. Whatever was about to happen could be very, very bad.

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End chapter 26

900 reviews!


	27. Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27

Someone groaned, and that set off a miniature symphony of harmonizing groans as the sound hurt very sensitive ear drums. Ron tried to move, jostling Hermione's head where it was tucked in the crook of his neck, and some drool dribbled out of the corner of her mouth to slide down his collar. He grimaced and immediately winced, realizing that he'd opened his eyes and exposed to the vicious stabs of sunlight streaming in from the windows-

Wait. Sunlight?

He risked another look, discovering that there was, in fact, sunlight shining through a few of the windows, and from what he could see above the rhododendron trees, blue sky cluttered only with a few clouds. It was beautiful, and he sighed happily. Unlike Harry, who seemed to actually like rain, he'd never been comfortable if he was without sunlight for too long.

Smiling despite his horrible hangover, he disentangled himself from Hermione as best as he could and headed for the kitchen to make some coffee. Once it was safely brewing and not going to explode (you never knew with Muggle machinery), he headed upstairs to dig through his trunk until he found a Pepper-Up Potion. Swallowing it in one go, relieved to feel his aches and pains melting away already and the tension in his temples release somewhat, he made for the shower.

On the floor of the bathroom, he discovered a small furry creature drinking out of the toilet bowl. Since he was not and never would be a morning person, he shrugged it off.

When he came out, it was sitting mournfully by the closed door, which he had inadvertently trapped it with. Feeling sorry for the lump of fluff, he opened the door a crack so it could slip out, getting a friendly lick to his fingertips for his trouble.

Even after his shower and potion, his eyes were still a little red and his mouth felt thick, like there was a thick slab of cotton stuck inside of it. Brushing his teeth fixed part of the problem, and he started to look a little livelier.

Slipping into the room he partially-shared with Harry, which was little more than a storage place for his clothing and other belongings that couldn't fit into the small guest room he slept with Hermione in, he picked out some loose Muggle clothing and pulled it on.

Looking around and patting himself down to see if he'd forgotten anything, he decided that he was put together enough to go check on the coffee.

Pouring himself a mug, he raised his eyebrows at Harry, who'd just wandered in and was groping around for the coffee grounds.

"I already brewed some, mate."

Harry nodded, winced, and switched his efforts to procuring a mug. He was silent as he poured, and cast a silent cooling charm. He drank the entire thing in one go and re-filled, consuming half of it.

"Thanks a bunch, Ron." He sighed happily, smiling and finally looking awake. "How long have you been up?"

"Just half an hour or so. Hermione was starting to drool."

Harry choked, laughing quietly. "No, seriously?"

"Absolutely. Why?"

"Because we need to get a camera _now _and take some pictures before she stops, of course!" He set his mug down and grabbed Ron's hand when he didn't immediately do the same. "Come on!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!"

They dashed upstairs, sifted madly through their belongings, which 'decorated' the room in large piles, until Ron's fingers grasped the sought-over camera through a stack of sweaters.

"Ah-ha!"

"What? Did you find it?"

"Yeah, let's get down there before she wakes up." They went downstairs, skidding along the floor in their socked feet until they got to the living room, where Hermione was snuggling a pillow and, indeed, drooling on it.

Ron snapped a couple of pictures from various angles, and then let Harry take a picture of the couple together, with the redhead making a grossed-out face and pointing at Hermione's unwitting puddle.

"I think that should do the trick."

"Yeah…" Ron tucked a piece of Hermione's hair behind her ear, eyes warm. Harry decided to leave them alone, looking around at the disarrayed couch cushions and rumpled floor carpets with a mixture of disgust and disbelief. He didn't remember getting as inebriated as they'd been last night since the after-party for his defeat of Voldemort, and at that time they'd all had very good reason to want to forget what was going on for at least a few hours.

There was no sign of Luna or Bert in the room other than one of Luna's ridiculous skirts draped ceremoniously over the back of a sofa. One of the kittens was batting at the beaded fringe.

With a mumbled curse, Harry made his way through the house to Bert's make-shift study, which was actually just a large closet they'd stretched with magic and converted, bracing himself before pushing the door cautiously open.

It was empty.

The desk was messy and strewn with papers connected to the research project he was working on with Hermione, and his robe was tossed carelessly over the chair, but there was no sign of Bert.

Harry sighed and crossed the small room to the other door connecting to Bert's room, which he had never been inside before. Easing the door open so the hinges wouldn't creak, although he didn't know why he bothered since everything in this house creaked anyway, he peeked inside.

The room was dim, but the sunlight trying to fight its way through the blinds on the windows revealed only one person on the bed…a person that was not Bert. Coming closer, fingers slipping onto the smooth wood of his wand, he saw Luna sprawled across the covers, a pillow partially covering her face.

He'd forgotten how silent she was in sleep, and how much older it made her look. Most people looked almost child-like in their sleep, but with Luna it was as if the illusion of careless youth was peeled back to show her true self.

A muffled snort from the floor on the other side of the bed caught his attention, and a quick craning of his neck revealed a fully-dressed (even if they _were _pajamas) Bert lying innocently on the floor, a good portion of the blankets from the bed wrapped around him. He snorted again in his sleep, shifting onto his side and mumbling something into his rug.

Sighing with relief, even though it wasn't entirely certain that Luna hadn't seduced him like she did with that one Egyptian official, he grabbed a folded blanket from the foot of the bed and covered the blonde with it, smoothing it over her goose-pimpled legs and kissing her forehead fondly.

She smiled faintly, and Harry made the mistake of glancing at the clock. He was going to be late to school!

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Emmett seethed quietly, glaring balefully at the back of Rosalie's head. Instead of going to visit Harry like he wanted to, he now had to escort her all the way back to their new home and give it his stamp of approval.

It normally took far longer than this for Esme to pick out a new location for them to live in, but she'd stumbled across something really nice this time, or so Alice said, and wanted them all to come have a look at it before she finalized the purchase of it with the real estate agent.

To make matters more excruciating, the sun decided that it was going to shine today of all days, which meant that they had to pick their way through the woods, getting lost left and right.

"So, what did you think?" Rosalie timidly asked. Emmett raised an eyebrow at her uncharacteristic tone. Rosalie made a point of never asking for anyone's approval unless it was rhetorical, and to hear her asking it about the decidedly ancient Vampire they'd spent all night chatting with made him feel a mixture of foreboding and happiness. He was happy for her, but at the same time, last night had revealed just how little they really knew about Bysshe. Not to mention that the older Vampire expressed himself like one of those criminal master-minds sometimes, the sort that weighed everything that was said like it was a chess game or something. A game he was winning.

They finally got on the right track, after a just-slightly desperate phone call to Jasper since he was good with directions.

The house was…massive. It loomed at least four stories above their heads, made of old brick and looking like it had been converted into a boarding house at one point. Emmett liked it already, and he liked its secluded location even more.

Stepping inside quickly before a beam of sunlight could strike through their sweatshirt hoods, they let themselves admire the wide entrance hall. For a temporary home, it sure was impressive-looking. Esme was right to get them all riled up about it.

The agent, as they were assuming the human was, had the same plastic smile on throughout the entire exchange, and her voice was pitched just at that one pitch that sounded oh-so-reasonable when you heard it that they could tell she was a professional.

"So how does everyone feel about it?" She asked once they finished the tour.

Alice stopped fiddling with the drawers and said, "I love it! The echoes in some of the rooms are really beautiful."

Jasper nodded mutely, obviously in agreement. Unexpectedly, he voiced an opinion of his own instead of letting Alice voice both of theirs. "Has the wood flooring been replaced in any of the rooms? It's nice."

She flushed a little. "The floors have been restored and re-stained in the kitchen, but overall they are in their original condition. There isn't a hint of a flaw too, which is another one of the amazing things about this house and furthermore-"

And so on and so forth.

Emmett couldn't find a fault with the house, even if the uppermost floor did smell a little musty and he could pick out a subtle area where a closet had been closed off. He wondered why. Maybe Alice knew?

While Esme worked out the paperwork, they wandered aimlessly through the house on their own, avoiding the windows, and Emmett ended up on the floor with the closed-up closet with Jasper.

"What do you think was wrong with that closet?" He asked casually, tucking his hands into his pockets.

Jasper shrugged. "I feel some energy coming off of it, but nothing too serious. Someone probably had sex in it at one point…"

"You can feel that?"

Jasper didn't arch his eyebrows, but rather his entire face. It was kind of disturbing to watch. "Yes, and in addition to that I can feel your own dissatisfaction with being here for much longer, your desire for a certain someone, and that itch in your left foot."

Emmett rolled his eyes. "And this is why we don't talk very often, Jasper. You're too fucking creepy sometimes."

"But I'm nowhere near as creepy as those people that are able to move around the natural order of the world with a stick of wood."

"Point taken. How do you think that works, anyway?"

He shrugged. "No idea, but one of these days I'll get Edward to read their minds and tell us what he sees. Speaking of Edward, how long do you think it'll take him to stop obsessing over Victoria?"

"Why don't you just ask Alice?" Emmett snarked back, taking some of his irritation out on the blonde and immediately feeling guilty for it. He knew he didn't have to voice his apology, and Jasper lightly touched his bicep to show that he'd recognized his remorse.

"She said soon, but with her that could mean anything. 'Soon' could be a year from now, though I doubt it. Edward will give up soon, I'm sure."

Emmett snickered. "We have such faith in him."

Jasper snorted. "I know, right?"

"What are you two girls giggling about?" Rosalie suddenly asked, appearing at the top of the stairs. "I can hear bits of what you're saying. Did Edward do something stupid again?"

"Not yet." Jasper murmured, lightly running the pads of his fingers down the faint outline of the door through the wallpaper. "We should open this up once we own this place, just do we can know. I mean, why let ourselves wonder? Living forever should entitle us to some degree of doing whatever we want."

Rosalie hummed agreement, but Emmett didn't notice. Those words twanged against something inside him, bringing to mind bright green eyes and a frighteningly human pulse. So what if blood still flowed through Harry's veins? So what if there was an age gap? He wanted to make a move properly, and he was going to do it!

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End chapter 27

Hooray for manly resolve! (cackles).


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: I'm reading 'Persepolis' by Marjane Satrapi. I recommend it to anyone not to stuffy to read a comic book.

CHAPTER 28

Potter was in America. The records all concurred on that, as did the easily over-powered clerk recently promoted to guard the records.

He'd obliviated him afterwards, of course, although the urge to pierce his neck with the sharp point of a quill and push it inwards until it killed him had been almost overwhelmingly strong. The only way he'd been able to hold himself back was the thought of the strength he would expend in doing so, strength he was going to need for when he'd searched every nook and cranny of America until he found the little bastard. Then…then he would do many things before he let his fragile life slip away. There were some crimes that took away one's right to a speedy death, he'd always thought.

Having procured a map of America, he tacked it to the wall of the motel room he was staying in until he found a way to cross the sea. And now, using one of the hideous Muggle pens, he marked out a plan of which cities to visit first.

New York City seemed like a likely location, but at the same time it was too obvious.

He chewed his knuckle while a greasy strand of his thinning hair came out of its fastening and fell into his eyes.

Perhaps it would be best if he just focused more on getting to the country for now.

Sitting on the bed, he watched the map contemplatively, as if waiting for it to impart its secrets. A sore on his wrist burst when he capped his pen, the skin stretched by the motion and letting slip a few teaspoons-worth of blood mixed with puss and old skin.

He sneered at it, wiping it on the sheets. He would have used a cleaning charm if it couldn't be used to track him, and his feet ached too much to carry him to the sink in the bathroom.

Tomorrow he would look up an old acquaintance who still owed him a favor. He was in possession of a boat and just might be persuaded to do him a service.

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Harry heard something rustle, and blinked. Since it was sunny for once, he couldn't bear to sit inside and eat in the cafeteria, so he'd done some snooping around until he found the door leading to the roof, where he now sat cross-legged. Sunshine streamed across the sky and glinted sharply off of the plastic wrapping on his sandwich.

He touched it, checking if it had the same rustle. It didn't. turning his head subtly and expanding his peripheral vision, he finally spotted a half shadow hiding behind one of the air vents.

His lips twitched. "You can come out of there, Bysshe. If you need something to drink, just come out with it. _I _won't be the one doing the biting, after all."

Much to his surprise, it wasn't Bysshe that came slinking out. It was Emmett. And for some reason he was sparkling like a young girl's play thing.

Harry decided not to think too much about it.

"Hey, you!" he smiled widely, eyes squinting a bit to keep the glare out of his eyes. The sun was hitting Emmett rather strongly, causing him to reflect sharply into the human's eyes. "Um, do you mind coming to sit next to me? I can't really make eye contact with you right now, and my Aunt Petunia always told my cousin that eye contact is the most important part about having a proper conversation."

Emmett sat, his sun-heated shoulder pressed against Harry's. He smiled shyly at the smaller brunette.

"What are you eating?"

Harry poked at the flaky piece of fried flour oozing something slimy with chunks in it. "The official tag was 'fajita', but I think something went wrong. Do you want to poke it?" He offered Emmett the fork.

The Vampire gave him a Look before accepting it. He poked the sad excuse for sustenance, finding strange pleasure in the way it jiggled. He did it again and again until Harry started to laugh, first biting his lip to muffle it but soon giving up the farce.

"So to what do I owe the honor of a visit from you?"

"I just wanted to see you…"

Harry looked at him speculatively. "You're glittering, you know."

"And?" the casual tone he used was far too practiced-sounding to be genuine, and Harry filed that away for later. He hoped Emmett wasn't trying to impress him or something, since he sort of wanted to have a more serious relationship with him at one point and relationships based on facades of personalities never lasted.

"Someone might see a black blob and a sparkly one sitting on top of the high school and get curious. Maybe you should switch it off?"

"But I can't switch it off!"

"Oh wow…really?"

Emmett looked at him strangely. "Last I checked, this was just another aspect of being a Vampire. What made you think I could, anyway?"

"I don't know, actually. You said earlier that you wanted to see me. Did you have some part of me you wanted to see in particular or just the whole package?"

He smiled, sneaking his hand over to rest alongside Harry's, lightly petting his wrist with his thumb. "The whole package is almost too much for me to handle. I haven't fed in a while."

"Would you like me to take your mind off of this or make it worse?"

"Uh, I'm almost afraid to ask what you would do to achieve either of those. You don't strike me as the law-abiding type."

Harry laughed the sound echoing faintly off of the air vent closest to them with a hollow, metallic sound. "I just meant that I could talk or touch. Pick one."

"Oh, but which does what? With you, I can't tell."

Harry continued to smile, and wrapped the 'fajita' back into its plastic, stood, and tossed it over the side of the railing. Returning to his seat, he pressed his cheek to Emmett's warmer one.

"Better?"

Emmett frowned, suddenly realizing that yes, he was better. "Yeah. What did you do?"

"Oh, nothing. I just slipped a charm under your skin."

He looked down, shocked to find a sharp-looking metal spike protruding from his wrist, where his life's blood would be gushing out if he wasn't already dead. "What the hell did you do?"

"I thought you would want to hold back your primitive urges rather than indulge them. And don't people who like each other do nice things for each other?"

"I suppose you're right."

Harry snorted. "Of course I'm bloody right."

Emmett took a deep breath. Since he was done being a pansy and was now going to act like a man, he reached out impulsively and tugged gently on Harry's fringe, curling the thick hair through his fingers with fascination. It was as smooth as silk, and the best part was that Harry wasn't resisting.

Green eyes blinked up at him once, twice, and then fell shut as he let himself be stroked.

"You have really nice hair. It looks like a rat's nest, but its really thick." Emmett noted, settling his entire palm around Harry's skull. It fit into his hand, which was a little bit scary. "I think its my favorite thing about the way you look."

"What, no bullshit about my eyes?"

"Don't get me wrong, those are beautiful too." He kissed his forehead, getting a muzzy smile for his gesture. "But your hair is a bit more unusual, and therefore attains the gold standard for being rare."

"I see. Do I get to pick favorite bits of you or is this an exclusive event?"

Emmett nuzzled Harry's hair like he had that night on the porch, feeling euphoria race through his veins when he realized that he had absolutely no intention to bite Harry…outside of a sexual context, of course.

"You can do whatever you want, Harry."

"Well, I don't think it would be fair for me to pick favorite bits of you just yet since I haven't gotten to experience all of you. You're a modest man, Emmett, and you still haven't kissed me like you mean it." A sly smile spread across his lips when he realized the Vampire had frozen up, mouth still gently kissing the bone behind his ear thinly covered with skin. "You kiss like a little girl."

"I do not!"

"Then prove it."

Emmett swallowed the excess of liquid in his mouth, pulling back to meet Harry's eyes. He moved closer and their noses bumped, making Harry wince.

"Are you serious?"

Instead of answering verbally, Harry just shook his head and placed both of his hands on either side of Emmett's faintly glittering face. He kissed him lightly before he had a chance to protest.

"That is what we have covered, Emmett. Now are you going to finish the job or leave me hanging? Mind you, if I get antsy, I'll just track down Bysshe. I'm sure he would love to-"

He never got a chance to finish his sentence, since his vocal faculties were somewhat impaired by Emmett's.

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Neville groaned, tugging on his short hair as best as he was able. His dirt-stained fingers tangled in the small curls (curls his Gran called 'cherubic' when he was a young lad) and got stuck.

He didn't notice; too busy pacing the small and mostly unused office connected to his greenhouse. The Board of Herbology had been very generous to him at first because of his instrumental role in the Second War, but then their generosity had increased exponentially once they'd seen just how green his thumb was.

But that was all nothing now. Everything had gone to shit and he had no idea how to fix it.

Accidents happened all the time, this was true, and when one was working on resurrecting fossilized samples of very ancient carnivorous plants, one could expect more than usual. However, an accident involving one of the blossoms actually devouring an assistant who had harmlessly watered it by accident instead of a nearby cactus would take more explaining that Neville knew he was capable of. Getting away with murder was very possible, he knew, but only if one had the sort of silver-tongued glibness required to tie not only journalist's minds into knots but also multiple members of law enforcement.

Basically, he was completely fucked if he didn't figure something out _now. _

His eyes suddenly cleared. There was always…

No. he couldn't do that.

But this was an emergency!

He wrestled with his conscience, which sounded suspiciously like his deceased grandmother. On the one hand there was his career and general livelihood, and on the other was justice. Which did he value more?

It couldn't hurt, and Harry just might say no.

Going quickly over to the sink built into the wall, he scrubbed all the grubbiness from his hands (after a short battle to free them) and forearms, which were corded with muscles instead of flabby thanks to a significant reduction in the amount of sweets he indulged in and much shifting around of hefty flower pots.

His smock was hastily removed and folded onto the office chair for later use, if he ever came back here at all. There was only so much weight that a war hero's reputation could carry on its own, after all, and Harry just might be a little bit tetchy about getting bothered on such short notice. Harry never liked surprises unless they were wrapped in sparkly paper, and Neville didn't blame him. His friend's life had been filled with many cloaked surprises popping out of gravestones and trying to kill him: it was enough to put one off of cloaks altogether.

He looked into the mirror above the sink and smoothed a curl that had decided to hang out of place. He hoped he looked alright. Nervous palms smoothed down his plain Muggle shirt, buttoning a button that had been missed in his haste to dress that morning.

Realizing what he was doing, he stopped and just met his own eyes. He was going to just get this over with and hope for the best. Maybe the Board of Herbology would understand that some carnivorous plants had very large appetites?

They probably wouldn't, but he hadn't gotten as far in life as he had without a fair amount of optimism.

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On the uppermost floor of the house that was now in possession of the Cullens, something screeched.

The door rattled, trapped behind its wallpaper and bricks.

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End chapter 28

NEVILLE!

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	29. Chapter 29

A/N: I passed the thousand review mark without even realizing it! You guys are the absolute best, you know that?

CHAPTER 29

The smell that permeated every cursed splinter of the boat was unbearable. Lucius had already vomited from the stench of it until nothing but acid could come out of his throat. In his somewhat rushed travel planning, during which he had decided to call his contact on his debt, it had temporarily escaped his memory that his contact was part-troll.

Trolls do not possess a proper sense of smell, and so Craig made no effort to suppress the stench his barge's cargo produced. The cargo was a mixture of various kinds of domestically-generated garbage, and it had been backed up in its arrival time, so it was quite rank by then.

Lucius clamped his throat muscles, feeling the spasms trying to work their way up it. There had been blood in his last batch, and he didn't want to see what came after that.

"How much longer until you drop this off?" he rasped, his voice sounding raw and alien even to his own ears. It'd been so long since he'd spoken that he'd forgotten how much his disease changed his body.

"Oh, about a day or so, and then I can get you across. It's dashed inconvenient that they can track apparatating, 'cause if it wasn't you'd be there by now."

And not inhaling toxic fumes while wishing he'd had another option, like he was right this minute. He might as well start praying to Merlin that this journey didn't prove to be the final nail in his coffin, since that would be deeply embarrassing.

"You look mighty ill, Luce. Have you been to see a medi yet?" Craig asked, obviously not giving a shit about Lucius or his health but wanting to fill the strained silence between them.

Lucius didn't bother to answer; turning his head so he was facing away from the direction the wind was blowing the unwelcome smell into his nostrils, he occupied himself with planning out his search route. It had been years since he last needed to sift through a Muggle records system, so they had no doubt changed it into a more confusing format since then, but he was prepared to re-learn.

Craig shrugged and muttered a few obscenities under his breath but didn't say anything else.

The blonde really couldn't have cared less what Craig thought about him. He was just going to kill him as soon as he was no longer useful, after all.

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Neville stood in line for what felt like ages at the Ministry, switching his weight from one foot to the other in an effort to alleviate his boredom. Normally he would read something right now, but he'd forgotten to pick out a book from the stack (more like 50-some stacks) packed into his trunk before sealing it, and it would cause more harm than good to try and fish one out now. The lady behind him had three toddlers with her and the shortest temper fuse he'd ever seen. Any jostling on his part to her personal bubble might result in a Severing Charm applied to his neck, which he didn't need right now.

His morbid thoughts led him back to the mess he was running away from and a quiet groan left his mouth. He rubbed his temples.

What was he going to do?

That had been his favorite assistant that got eaten, too. A nice chap named Walter Tuttle, from a decent family, with a fiancée too-

Oh god. He had to stop thinking about this right now or else he'd scream, and then the mean lady behind him would complain and then he would get escorted to some kind of office and then he'd really be fucked.

The line moved quite a bit, and he could now see that what was making it take so long to do so was that some old guy in a plaid suit was transporting over twenty full-size trunks that were very poorly sealed.

There was still some brightly-colored underwear strewn across the cross-seas apparatation point platform itself. Most of it was women's underwear, which Neville found both amusing and odd since the man was unaccompanied.

Now there were only three people in front of him, so he dug into his pocket for his wand to use as identification. The woman behind him sniffed at his struggle with it, and his cheeks flamed. Why were his motor functions so damned below standard? Why couldn't he grow into his own body now instead of later?

He hated being sixteen. It was a right pain.

Finally it was his turn, and after presenting his wand and having his name go up in little smoky letters, he heard the woman make a little gasp. He rushed onto the platform before she could say something, even if this meant moving closer to the officials. Government workers always made him a little uncomfortable.

"America, eh, Mr. Longbottom?"

"That's right." He replied nervously, feeling flushed and awkward. One of these days he would stop being so insecure.

"I hope you have a lovely time." He smiled and ushered him into his spot. Neville just nodded and smiled before disappearing with a crack!

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Harry eventually had to leave the roof top, since his report card was looking dodgy enough with the way he skipped classes more than he ought to, but had extracted a promise from Emmett to come over right after school.

Emmett couldn't have said no even if he wanted to. For some reason it becomes very hard to be a rational and objective adult when a teenager he was liking more and more every time he thought about him decided that begging was the best way to persuade him.

Oh, he was going to be thinking about not thinking about Harry with his lower lip stuck out for the rest of the day, he knew.

Since spending anymore time on school grounds was just increasing his risk of being seen, he climbed down the back gutter that he'd used to get there in the first place. With his luck, he landed up to his ankles in a puddle when he jumped the last few feet.

Groaning, he set off to the library to study more for college and of course to make the trip back to attend the one class he had this afternoon.

He hated schools now. There was so little left to learn these days, besides maybe a new novel here and there and the ever-more-complex technical stuff and he thought he might scream if he had to hear about the history behind Communism one more time.

Who cared about the theory of equality and whether or not it can really work?

He grumbled wordlessly, sticking to the cover of the trees and wondering whether or not Rosalie would be up for helping him write his latest paper. Sure he could just re-write some of his old homework from the last time he had to cover the subject, but he got the feeling that one of these days they were going to catch on and accuse him of plagerism.

Yeah, he'd be doing some serious sweet-talking to put Rosalie into a suitable mood, or perhaps a little treat would suit her better?

His sprint slowed and he began to scratch his scalp, trying to remember if there was anything she had taken a shine to or if she'd mentioned anything recently…

And then it dawned on him. She would need new furnishings for her room and mentioned something about wanting a giant lava lamp.

Lava lamps, here he came!

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Harry felt like he was going to explode if he had to stay in school for another bleeding second! Unfortunately for him, he still had five more minutes until last period was over, and even then he had to go to work.

The work at the library kept him busy, and he was always more comfortable when he felt he was being useful so he wasn't complaining about that. It was the monotony of the job and the patronizing looks his fellow librarians gave him that was making him upset. He was working harder than the rest of them for the same pay, so what business did they have to look at him like he was a piece of gum stuck on their heel?

Sensing that his mood was just going to go downhill if he continued to think about all of the things he still had to do before he could see Emmett again, he tried to distract himself. Fishing in his bag as quietly as he could, he dug out a pen and uncapped it. Scratching, using tiny lettering since he wasn't stupid, he began to scratch out first his initials, and then Emmett's. when he was done there was a minute left before the bell rang, and he considered drawing a heart around the two before deciding that that would be crossing the border into 'too girly'.

He might fancy men (there was no reason to try and think otherwise anymore), but that didn't make him a romantically-minded woman.

The bell rang, homework was assigned, and then he was out of there. He pushed and shoved his way through the crowds, for once not caring who he jostled. The doors loomed ahead of him like the gates of Paradise, and he was almost there-

The fresh air filled his lungs, smelling like rain and cleanliness unlike the faintly muggy air on the inside of the school from too many bodies in shut rooms and food laced with chemicals not found naturally in any kind of plant.

"Harry!"

Of course she would be still wearing the sheer shirt.

He had no idea how Luna found out where the high school was, or how she managed to be here on time (this happened maybe once out of a hundred different situations, making the odds pretty incredible), even if she _was _wearing hot pants in the beginning of November, with sandals, no less.

"Luna! Hey, what are you doing here, my love?" He kissed the top of her head, smiling at the way she smelled. He couldn't pin it down to a particular flower, but Luna always smelled like summer to him. And sometimes animal droppings, though he usually overlooked that one.

There was a small fluffy creature tucked into her massive purse, and it made a noise similar to that of a squirrel when it saw him, stretching out its curving tongue to lick at his fingertips.

"You brought a friend."

"Oh, yes, this is It."

Harry blinked. "I can see that. Does it have a name?"

"I just told you. His name is It."

"Ah." There was no use mentioning it further, especially since he owned a cat named Idiot whose gender he'd never bothered to confirm and probably never would. He found the entire idea a little revolting and invasive. Not to mention that Idiot would sooner claw his eyes out than let him have a peek at its privates.

"So this where you go to school now, huh?" Luna observed, looking speculatively at the plain buildings covered with cheap paint. "It's…nice."

Harry snorted. "That's one way of putting it. Not to cut your gazing party short, but I need to work soon and that means that if I don't start walking now, I'll be late."

"Okay." She fell into step beside, swinging her arms so she could hear the slippery sound her plastic rain coat sleeves made against the sides of it. Harry had to admit it sounded nice, especially when she decided that humming would be acceptable.

He suddenly realized that Luna had just turned up out of the blue. "Luna, you didn't…apparatate to see me, did you?"

She gave him a wide-eyed look. "Of course not! I did what Muggles do- I walked until I found a road and held out my thumb until a nice man stopped. I asked him to take me to the Forks school for people about your age, and he did."

"W-what? You got into a car with a stranger?!" oh no. with the way she was dressed right now… "Did he, you know, do anything to you?"

"What do you mean?"

He sighed and rubbed his face. "Did he touch you at all?"

She giggled. "He certainly tried."

"What the hell does that mean?"

Her expression suddenly hardened into the very uncommon face of rationality. "He attempted to seize hold of my thigh but It is very possessive of my well-being and bit two of his fingers off."

It spit out a small bone that clattered on the sidewalk. Harry paled but felt relieved all the same. "Well…that's, uh, good."

Luna impulsively hugged his side; It making more squirrel-like noises that Harry hoped didn't mean his hands were in danger. He'd heard of people who could smoke with their toes, and while Harry was fairly flexible, he wasn't sure he could do that.

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End chapter 29


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: I have reached chapter thirty and decided it was time to do something unusual to throw you all a loop. Or just to finally do something useful with myself.

CHAPTER 30

The first impression of America Neville had was that it was very loud. The tiny Ministry that represented all of the country was located in New York, in an old office building seemingly abandoned by all but rats and beggars. Or at least so it looked to the busy Muggles going about their business.

To Neville, however, it was crawling with people of every ethnic race he could imagine, all of them looking so focused on their tasks that he was too frightened to say anything, much less stop one of them with a question. Looking around instead, he spotted one of those square metal boxes with the word 'EXIT' on it in glowing red letters.

Hefting his trunk, he aimed for it, managing to only jostle one very tall woman of African descent with a braid thicker than his upper arm swinging behind her head like a snake. She smiled, though, instead of glaring like he'd been expecting.

"Can I help you with something, honey? You look a little lost."

He laughed faintly, hoping he didn't actually look as sheep-like as he felt. "I was just wondering if that exit over there will lead me outside or to some other part of this facility."

"Oh, well, if you are looking to go into the city itself, you will need to take the left-hand staircase through the door, and once you've reached the floor labeled 'lobby', go through the blue door, not the red one."

He nodded uncertainly.

"Can I ask you if you have proper transport?"

"Pardon?"

She laughed lightly. "Sorry, I meant, do you know your way around the city, to get to where you need to be?"

Shit. He didn't think of that. "I, uh, need to get to Forks, Washington. What method would you suggest to make that happen as fast as possible? From what I understand, you don't have a apparatation system set up nationally."

She nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, sorry about that, but there just aren't enough of us for it to be of any use. Anyways, I would recommend bus, and I can get you a pass and everything for the next one and a ride to the station."

"Wow, that's really nice of you!"

She smiled and shrugged. "It's my job, actually, and you _do _have to pay me five bucks and reimburse me for the ticket."

"It's still better than setting me loose on the streets to fend for myself."

"Yeah, especially nice tender-looking chaps like yourself. Somebody would pack you up and keep you on their mantle-piece forever in no time at all."

"Um…"

She pinched his cheek, suddenly slithering behind one of the obviously-recycled desks and reaching for a map with lots of squiggly lines on it.

"Take a seat, honey: that's what the chair is for, you know. This is a bus route guide, by the way, so if you'll just give me a moment I can sort you out. Forks, was it?"

"Yes." He sank into the stiff chair, little more than a thin metal frame with some cardboard covered with cheap gray fabric which was worn thin in great patches.

A few minutes passed, which he spent carefully examining the floral pattern on her crochet halter blouse and the light glinting off of her multitude of keys hung on little ribbons and strings around her neck. He wondered what they went to.

She got out a sheet of graph paper and started writing down some things in a very neat block print.

"Okay, I think I've got everything in hand now." She gestured him to lean forward, turned the paper to face him so he could read the instructions and little tips. "Just follow these and call me if you have any problems. Here is my card-" she dug into her bra and pulled one out (he looked away, blushing). It was periwinkle with big yellow letters spelling out 'Maud Detweiler' and several different sequences of telephone numbers. "so don't hesitate to contact me if you have any problems. I'll be happy to help you."

"Thanks so much!"

"Not at all, honey." She stood and shook his hand firmly. They smiled at each other and Neville almost felt reluctant to leave her company, but the little red letters spelling 'EXIT' seemed to call his name like a siren call. After all, wasn't this an exit of sorts? It was a way out of his previous life and the bizarre accident that made it impossible to pursue any longer.

Peeking at the map, he saw that the bus would get him to Forks by tomorrow morning. He really hoped that Harry wouldn't mind helping him out.

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Rosalie sniffed, superciliously looking down her nose at his latest rendition of his essay. He might be immortal, but writing really wasn't his field of expertise and he knew he would never be anything more than decent at it.

"You still misspelled 'phosphorescence'." She muttered, reaching for the dreaded red pen to circle it for him. "This is three times in a row."

He groaned and rubbed at his eyes. They weren't drooping from actual fatigue, but the motion made him feel better anyway. He was of the opinion that being a Vampire didn't mean you had to suddenly abandon human mannerisms, and it'd helped him every time they re-assimilated themselves into civilized society.

"Sorry, Rose."

All he got was a shrug. "Its fine, babe; I know this isn't your best subject."

"But still-"

She silenced him with a night-cooled hand over his mouth. "Nobody's perfect, and trying to become so is not only pointless, it'll just get you down. Understood?"

He nodded, smiling behind her hand. This was one of the things he'd loved so much about Rosalie. A pep talk from her was delivered with the sternness of a school mistress, but the words themselves were always just what he needed to hear. Out of respect, he tried his hardest to take them to heart, but he didn't think that he would ever be able to banish the niggling feeling that he ought to be more than he was. Sure, he could hunt just about anything and win, smash through quite a variety of natural and man-made barriers, but he should be more. He was getting to know Harry quite a bit and he wanted to be as impressive as possible when Harry started to learn more about what he could do as a Vampire.

He didn't want to disappoint him.

As if she knew what was going through his mind and slowly driving him mad, Rosalie absently petted his short hair, twisting locks of it into little tufts and tugging playfully on them until his eyes fell shut and he nuzzled his face into the side of her thigh. It was nice and cool, and her hands felt nice.

Rosalie let herself smile, lifting the miniature lava lamp he'd bought her and switching it on. The glow made the room form strange shadows, which she found pleasing to look at.

"I wish we could sleep."

He nodded. "I second that. We have a little too much free time on our hands."

"Maybe we should try to build a model of New York made from sugar cubes again? That was kind of fun."

"How about Tokyo? They have a wider range of shapes for us to work with. It'd be more of a challenge."

Rosalie considered that for a moment. "Alright, that settles it. Where should we stick it?"

"Um…there are a couple of rooms up in the attic that Alice didn't want for painting in and Esme doesn't need for storage. Should we get one with windows in it or no?"

He worried his lower lip with his teeth for a bit. "Didn't that make them melt a little last time?"

"True. I forgot about that."

"That's why you've got me. I'm your personal memory supplier."

Rosalie tugged extra hard on his hair to 'punish' him for his insolence, laughing a little. "That and smashing stuff is all you're good for, too."

"Hey! That was cruel, even from you."

Somewhere, distantly, they could hear the sound of Esme's cell phone ringing. They exchanged a puzzled look. Carlisle was at home taking a 'breather' (he would have worked around the clock all the time if he didn't know that would look suspicious. This was his first break in three days), and so were the Hales so who…?

It stopped ringing, cut off mid-trill by her picking it up. They strained their ears to hear, but couldn't pick up anything.

By unanimous decision, they rose and went downstairs until they found her in the kitchen, surrounded by half-unpacked crockery that she'd collected over the years, holding her phone to her ear. As they watched, she mumbled something and snapped it closed.

"What's going on?" Rosalie asked, never one for patience if she didn't feel there was a need for it.

"That was Edward."

"What's he done this time?" Jasper asked, sidling into the kitchen. Judging by the curious look in his eyes, he didn't mean the insult.

"He's coming back to us."

"What? Why Now? Did something happen?" Rosalie snapped out her questions rapidly, and began tapping her foot so fast it blurred.

"Is she dead?"

"Is he alone?"

Esme looked overwhelmed and held up her hands for silence. Alice wandered in as they waited for her to gather her thoughts. Jasper tried to put his arm around her but she coyly stepped out of his reach, winking at him and sticking out her tongue. He stuck his out as well.

"Victoria slipped away from him, but he's contacted the Volturi and let them know what she's been up to. Supposedly they are hunting for her now, and ordered him to go home and stay out of their way. He's on his way as we speak, and he's awful excited to see Bella again."

Emmett whooped and even Rosalie looked cheerful…

Alice's face was emotionless.

"What's wrong?" Jasper asked her, gently slipping his hand around the back of her neck and rubbing it a bit. "Do you see something?"

"Edward's going to have a lot of apologizing and making up in his future any way you spin it."

"What do you mean?" Rosalie asked, eyebrows drawn together quizzically. "If you're talking about Bella, I thought those two were like turtle doves."

"Bella grew up. She's not…" Alice trailed off. "Never mind. It isn't our business what Bella decides. She has every right to do what she likes and doesn't owe us anything."

"Uh, she owes us her life!" Jasper snapped. "Did you forget that?"

"Jasper, don't yell at me. I know this frustrates you, and so just remember how grateful Bella is for that. However, an act of charity on our part doesn't mean that she now has to sacrifice her own goals and dreams just because we want her to."

Jasper looked cowed and apologized quietly.

"So…what should we do to welcome the prodigal son home?" Esme asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Rosalie sighed gustily and stalked out of the room.

Feeling sheepish, Emmett announced, "I'm going to see Harry tonight. So, uh, bye."

Making for the door, he was almost out and away to freedom when Esme came up behind him and slammed her palm into the door directly at eye level. He turned slowly around to face her, expecting anger but finding an almost perverted smirk on her face.

"Will you be coming back tonight or tomorrow morning?"

"Mom!"

"Now honey, you know you can tell me anything-"

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Face still burning from fending off Esme's graphic suggestions regarding the physical nature of his relationship with Harry, Emmett ascended the steps to Harry's porch, nearly tripping over some kind of furry animal that looked like…well, he couldn't' tell because of the extraordinary amount of fur it had.

It trilled something at him, nuzzled his Nikes, and waddled down the steps. It was almost out of sight when he saw it pounce on something. The something turned out to be a baby rabbit, and he winced when the apparently sharp jaws of the thing snapped its neck.

The jaws of the creature made smacking noises as it began to chew and slurp the rabbit's blood.

While he was pre-occupied with the gory feeding ritual, he failed to notice Harry sneaking up behind him until two scarred hands clapped over his eyes and he whispered, "Guess who?"

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End chapter 30

Edward is coming back now…I hope you all are damned pleased with yourselves.


	31. Chapter 31

IMPORTANT: I will be going out of town and won't be back until about the 5th. I apologize for my spotty updating recently, but my internet has been on and off lately. Hopefully the problem is fixed now.

CHAPTER 31

The bus smelled disgusting, but he was lucky enough to have an empty seat beside him since there weren't a lot of passengers, which allowed him to stretch out and have a nap. He woke up hours later in the dark, went to the lavatory, and then back to sleep. There was no reason to pull an all-nighter, and Neville still loved to sleep whenever he could. His Gran called him lazy because of it all the time, but after the War while getting his full check-up at St. Mungo's, they found out he actually had an energy deficiency and required more sleep than most people.

Not that his Gran was around to lord it over now that she was refusing to speak to him.

When he woke for the third time, the bus was stopped and the bus driver, an obese man with thinning hair, was shaking his shoulder.

"Come on, kid, get out. I've got a schedule, you know, and this isn't a charity house."

"Huh? Oh, right, sorry."

He got a curious look-over while putting himself together. "Hey, are you from England?"

"Yes." Neville tucked his bag under his arm, adjusting the strap. It contained his miniaturized possessions and some very tetchy plant cuttings which he was going to need to feed water soon. "It was nice meeting you."

"Likewise."

Neville left the bus, feet hitting the pavement harder than he wanted, jostling his blister on his right heel. Wincing a bit, he continued until he found the shelter set up by the station and hugged his bag to his chest. Maud arranged for a cab to come and ferry him to Forks, where he was supposed to tell him the address he wanted to be dropped off.

This would have been fine, except Neville didn't know which part of Forks Harry was living in. Thankfully it had a small population, so asking around might bring up some information. The War completely swiped away everything his Gran had ever taught him about not talking to strangers (and becoming confident in his own ability to defend himself), so he had absolutely no qualms about making inquiries.

The cab pulled up, and Neville was surprised at first to see that all four of its wheels remained on the floor. Standing, he approached the vehicle and inquired who he was there to pick up, proved his identity with his 'driver's license' (Maud said it was like a apparatation license), and got in the back.

"Is that bag all you've got with you?"

"Yeah."

The driver shrugged and started to drive.

Rain pattered against the top of the car, which smelled like hand sanitizer and hamburgers, and Neville would have fallen asleep if he hadn't already gotten more than enough on the bus. His head felt muggy from being in the same space with so many strange people for so long, and he was hungry.

"Here, we're in Forks now. Where to now, kid?"

It was strange being called a kid again, but that must be what he looked like to the people here.

"Um, is there a restaurant here that you'd recommend?"

The driver was silent, hopefully thinking. "I think there's…yeah. This place here has good burgers, not that I've been in this area in ages. Forks isn't exactly the sort of place you to when you want a good time." He stopped the cab outside of a building that shone like a beacon through the gloom of early morning with its fluorescent lights. If he didn't know better, Neville would have thought it was the middle of the night rather than morning.

A sliver of silvery light began to show along the edge of the clouds on the horizon, but he missed it, too preoccupied with paying the driver and getting out of the rain.

"Have a nice day, kid."

"Thanks. You too!"

They exchanged slightly awkward smiles and then Neville dashed inside, nearly colliding with a man wearing a uniform of some kind with a patch spelling out 'Sheriff' on his breast.

"Oh, terribly sorry."

The man's eyes narrowed. "You are from England too?"

"…Pardon?" Did he know this man?

"Sorry, it's just that I've been seeing a lot of you floating around here lately and it took me off guard to see someone else joining the package."

His spirits rose. Maybe he wouldn't have to go through the bothersome process of asking a whole lot of people very careful questions after all! "Is one of them named Harry Potter? I'm an old school friend and came to see him, but I lost the rest of his address. At least I knew it was in Forks, but now that I'm here, I'm at a bit of an impasse."

The man rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Neville idly noticed that on the other side of his uniform was a plastic badge which said 'Charlie Swan' with a bunch of numbers underneath it. Charlie's eyes seemed to re-focus onto Neville. "My daughter is friends with a Harry Potter from England who moved here shortly after the school year ended. What does your friend look like?"

"Um, its been a while since I've seen him and he was talking about dying his hair, but last I checked, Harry has black hair, green eyes with glasses, and is a little on the short side. He's got a scar shaped like a lightning bolt on his forehead too."

"Then we're talking about the same boy. Tell you what, how about I give you a ride?"

000000(by the way, this is the night before Neville in the taxi)

"Harry?"

Harry laughed, removing his hands and letting Emmett spin around to face him, and eyes alight on the fact that Harry was wearing tighter trousers than usual.

"Damn, I was hoping to throw you for at least a little longer than that. I guess you could smell me?"

"Yeah. I'd know your smell immediately if we were in a crowd."

Harry prodded his ribs. "Good to know. You can prove it to me by taking me on a date in a crowded area one of these days."

"Well, when are you free?"

"Tomorrow night."

"Then it's a date. What time do you want me to come by?"

"Oh…" He ruffled his hair, eyes to the skies while he thought. "I'd say about seven should do, if that's doable through your schedule."

"Absolutely. But for now, can I just come inside? That thing is starting to creep me out."

Harry peered around him to see It chomping the spine of the rabbit's exposed skeleton into powder before snapping it up. He winced.

"That's Luna's pet. It's name is It."

"Ah. And does It have a gender?"

Harry looked at him like he was mad. "Are you kidding? Checking would just give It a chance to take a good chunk of your hand off!"

"Right…sorry."

"Never mind. Just come inside- you haven't met Luna herself yet and Bella is here, too. We need some more men to balance us out before Hermione proclaims it a feminist night and kicks us out."

"What would be so bad about that? We could sit in the kitchen and talk about manly stuff like painting techniques and shopping sprees in Paris."

Harry snickered before adopting an overly-serious expression. "The reason is Hermione would keep the liquor, no matter how much I could pay Ron to beg her, and a party completely sober is more like a business meeting."

Emmett gasped. "You don't like meetings?"

They were inside now and Emmett toed off his muddy shoes, getting distracted mid-task by Harry deciding that then was the time to kiss him. His back bumped into their umbrella stand, which toppled over with a noisy crash, but neither of them paid any attention to this.

Someone catcalled and they separated to find Bert smirking at him, wearing the most ridiculous apron they'd ever seen. Well, Esme owned ones far more frilly, but they looked good with her figure so it wasn't as harrowing as seeing a middle-aged man wearing one. Harry spied Luna's initials embroidered on the corner near the hem and his mouth made a little 'o' of understanding. He was glad he'd missed the process that coaxed the older man into it.

Bert ran a hand through his slightly graying hair and waggled his eyebrows at them.

"If you two can stop pawing at each other for a few moments, dinner is served."

"Are you serving up your dignity as a side dish as well?"

Bert seemed puzzled. "Not that I'm aware of."

"Then save all of us the eye sore and get rid of that damned apron!"

He stuck out his lower lip. "What, you don't like it? But I'm wearing it just for you!"

"And me too!" Luna suddenly appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, still wearing the hot pants from earlier but with a sweater this time. She was also wearing an apron with the words 'kiss the cook' spelled across the front (they flashed on and off).

Emmett's eyes went rather wide. "You must be Luna."

"You must be Harry's fuck-"

"Luna! Language! We have guests, for god's sake." Bert suddenly snapped, face redder than his shirt.

"What? Oh. Sorry about that."

Bella came around the corner and stopped short when she Emmett. Her eyes traveled down his face to his shoulder, down his arm, and saw that it was wrapped around Harry's deceptively-bony shoulder blades. Her eyes widened. "Uh, hey, Emmett. Long time, no see."

Without knowing why, Emmett burst out, "Edward's coming home."

She stiffened, expression first hopeful before sadness and something very much like resignation made her relax once again. "So? Is he going to deign to say 'hello' to me, or will he continue treating me like dirt because he thinks he can get away from it?"

"Last I checked he wanted to see you. Look, I know what he did was-"

"Emmett, I like you a lot as a person, but please don't talk to me about Edward. He can come say hello if he likes, but he can kiss good-bye whatever notions he had about us getting back together again, unless his personality has changed drastically." She shrugged. "Besides, it never would have worked anyway. We're not even the same breed."

Silence reigned until Bert walked out of the hall, taking Luna by the forearm and forcing her to step away from the spectacle which she was observing like a tourist with wide eyes. If she'd had a notebook on her, she would take notes.

Bella sighed and rubbed her face, smudging her eyeliner a little. "I'm sorry I dumped all of that on you, Emmett. That was inappropriate and you didn't need to hear me say that about your brother."

"But you still meant it." Emmett noted.

"Yeah, yeah I do. No offense to you personally, but no guy, no matter _who _he is, who just abandons his girlfriend without explanation for months without even calling her is going to either grovel until I feel sorry for him or expect to never see me again."

Emmett nodded. "I love my brother too, but he did kind of act like a dick and I'm sorry that happened to you. How about we just forget about all this drama for now and go eat?"

Bella bit her lip and nodded, smiling a moment later. "Too bad you can't eat it. The food here is pretty good normally, but I snitched some of the coconut bread that Luna girl made and it is like heaven on your taste buds!"

"Luna made food?" Harry looked up from where he was counting the scuff marks on the floor to distract himself from their private remarks. They weren't his business and he had no desire to follow the siren's call to meddle in other people's problems.

"She made just about everything with Bert and Hermione assisting. Technically I helped too since I set the table, but Ron talked me into playing magical chess with him. It was awesome, even though he totally kicked my ass."

Harry nodded sympathetically. "Don't feel bad: Ron kicks everyone's ass at chess."

"We'll see about that." Emmett muttered and Harry laughed, smacking his hand where it had decided to travel down the length of his back and tug on his belt loops.

"Come on, you guys; let's go get some food before Bert and Ron eat it all."

0000000

End chapter 31

Huzzah! And yes, my Bella is now asserting her feminism!


	32. Chapter 32

A/N: I'm finally back! And my internet is still on the mend so please be patient if my updates become sporadic.

CHAPTER 32

Emmett was confused. He was damn sure he was winning, and mentally preparing insults too, and yet there it was. Before his very eyes, in obvious mockery of his manhood, was an impudent little bishop check-mating his king.

"How the _hell _did you do that?!"

Ron just smirked, folding his hands and resting his chin on them gleefully. "You walked right into my trap, my man. Sorry."

Emmett tried to form a sentence, but ended up waving his hands around and grumbling to express how un-impressed he was with the situation. He almost clipped Harry in the ear, who had been sitting beside him on the couch and quickly apologized. Knowing his own strength made him more nervous than the sweet-smelling temptation to bite would have.

"I have to say that watching you guys duke it out was pretty entertaining." Hermione drawled, Bella curled up beside her on their loveseat. "There's just something about seeing someone half the size of someone else beating them into a metaphorical pulp."

"Then I'm glad you enjoyed the show." Emmett mock-sneered at her, laughing a moment later somewhat nervously when she gave him the self-same look Rosalie always did before pouncing. "So, uh, does anyone have any ideas of what we should do next? Other than make fun of me, of course."

"But we like tearing your ego to shreds! It's fun!" Luna spoke up, curled into a corner of the couch with Idiot perched on her shoulder and hissing at Crookshanks, who'd taken an almost maternal liking to Idiot.

Emmett huffed. "Just because I'm the only Vampire here doesn't mean you can abuse my state of minority."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Wanna bet on that, big boy?"

"Yes. Name your stakes." They grinned at each other and Harry smacked his arm.

"Now, now, behave! Some of the people here have moral disagreements with gambling." His eyes flicked over to Hermione, who was starting to scowl a little bit. Emmett got the idea and nodded.

"Who wants to take a walk in the rain? I could do with some air and it's not too bad out there." Emmett shrugged, fairly certain that no one was going to take him up on his offer; he was proven wrong by his boyfriend's sudden enthusiasm that may or may not have had more to do with going somewhere alone with him than the prospect of walking in the freezing rain.

"Oh, pick me!"

Hermione snickered and even Bella laughed a little in spite of herself. Sure, it was strange seeing Emmett, who she'd thought was stupidly devoted to Rosalie, being affectionate to Harry, but she had to admit it was kind of cute.

"Alright, that settles it. Harry and I are going to enjoy ourselves in the rain." He stood, smoothed his clothing, and helped Harry up. "See you guys later!"

"Bye-bye!" Luna waved, smile drowsy and friendlier than appropriate due to the wine she'd over-done at dinner, not that she'd been the only one. Bert was passed out on the other end of the couch, a thin line of drool making its way down his cheek, which Ron documented with his camera for the sake of later embarrassment fodder.

"Don't be too late." Hermione mothered, getting Bella to smile. That sounded like something someone a lot older and less liberal-minded than Hermione would say.

During the many long afternoons that she'd spent getting to know the witch, drinking whatever entered their minds to make and working while they talked, she came to appreciate Hermione deeply. She practically had the equivalent of a 'girl crush' on her, the witch's strong-minded ideas of equality, liberty, and personal ambition entering her own heart and growing deep roots into her psyche. It was almost like feeling herself growing out of the remaining scraps of her girlhood into a full-fledged woman who could label and discuss at length opinions that were her own instead of re-hashed things that she barely understood but overheard other people talking about. In a way, Hermione helped her become herself, and she knew she would never forget it.

"Yeah, we might get suspicious of your true motives with innocent young Harry." Ron chimed in, laughing darkly when Emmett's eyes turned an obvious shade of pink and Harry glared.

"Oh shut up. Don't even get me started on your 'true motives' for sharing a room with 'Mione, you bastard."

Bella's face flamed when she realized what Harry just said. She knew that Hermione and Ron were serious about each other, to the point where she was pretty sure they would get married someday or at least live together, but she wasn't used to hearing about people she actually _knew _having sex. And they were so casual about it!

While her thoughts started spiraling in the direction of her own virginity and what she was going to do about that, Harry tugged Emmett out of the house entirely, stopping a moment to grab his rain coat and his keys before letting Emmett huddle him onto the porch.

The air was chilly, but it smelled good and the quiet night sounds were muffled by the rain further, adding a surreal feeling to this. Harry always felt unbalanced when trying new things at night, but in a good way. It was a little bit like being tipsy, only more electrical.

Just as he was thinking of electricity, a bolt of lightning decided at that moment to strike a tree several feet from them, knocking off a large branch which landed with a crash right in front of them. Not that Harry could see this immediately since it was not only dark but Emmett moved in front of him in case he needed to shield him with his larger body.

"My hero." He laughed, resting his head briefly against his boyfriend's back. Emmett hummed happily, spinning swiftly around to catch Harry before he had a chance to move away. In the dark, cold woods, they could have believed they were the only two beings alive.

Tentatively, since this was still kind of new to him and kissing a boy was something entirely different from kissing a girl (perhaps it was a good thing his biological mother never had to know about this), he bent his head and touched his lips lightly to Harry's, feeling his smile. The smell of fresh greenery and earth surrounded them, adding to the isolation illusion, and Harry gripped Emmett's sleeve a little tighter.

He didn't like feeling quite so alone and wanted to reassure himself further. Emmett didn't seem to mind, raising his other hand and using it to press gently against his upper back, right between his shoulder blades, feeling like his boyfriend was made of lovely glass. He'd never been more nervous about breaking something or ecstatic to be touching it in his life.

Harry made a soft sound, louder than it should have been amongst the quiet patter of rain falling through the leaves, and moved closer. The suppressed urge to feed rose like a black specter and threatened to throttle him.

He should move away…right now.

But he didn't, and Harry was so close against him that there wasn't an inch of him that wasn't being warmed through their rain coats by the human's body temperature. He noticed that it'd risen, and that his breathing was more erratic. He was sure that if he'd been breathing, he would be having the same problem.

Pushing the specter back with every ounce of will he had, he released his inhibitions in another area and began to slide his hand down Harry's back, taking his time to feel the tendons and wiry muscles that made Harry almost intimidating at times.

Another crack of lightning followed swiftly by the rumble of thunder made Harry jump, disconnecting their mouths. He gasped for breath, absently clenching at Emmett's shoulders.

"Are you alright?" he asked, adjusting Harry's hood for him so he didn't get water down his neck.

He nodded. "Are you? I can feel how tense you are, so don't lie."

Should he tell the truth or lie? Sure, telling a lie would prevent him from burdening Harry with worries, but it was a fact that lying weakened relationships and that was the last thing he wanted to happen, especially now that he was beginning to become convinced that this was somehow 'meant to be', no matter how ridiculous that sounded to the part of his mind still thinking rationally.

"I…I wanted to bite you for a moment there."

"Oh."

Harry's lack of reaction other than slight stiffening was almost disappointing.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I-"

"Emmett, babe, I don't care whether you wanted to or not." Emmett raised his eyebrows, not that Harry could see him.

"Why not? Harry, you _should _be worried. I could kill you by just a quick twist of my hands."

"Your point? I know you're strong, I know you're a Vampire, and I know that you have the urge to bite me sometimes. I'm not concerned about this because (a, you can't kill me, and don't ask me why, and (b I wish you _would _bite me for once."

"Did you just say I can't kill you?"

Harry laughed nervously. "It's a long story, and I don't think you actually want to know."

"Of course I want to know: I want to know everything about you." The sincerity in his own voice scared and surprised him. He knew his feelings were strengthening beneath the surface of his consciousness, but this was the first time he realized just how far they'd developed, and in such a short period of time!

"Then can you please be satisfied with the Cliff Notes version for now?"

Emmett sighed but nodded. The specter retreated in the face of this new intrigue. The stories of Harry's life in the Wizarding world were unbelievable enough (even though he wasn't one to talk, being an undead Vampire) and his inner child was eager to hear more stories.

"Alright…basically, although I show every sign of being mortal since I've gotten broken bones and everything, there is some speculation about me being completely normal."

"That doesn't even qualify as a Cliff Foot Note!"

Harry whined and heavily set his forehead against Emmett's shoulder, sagging comically in his obvious reluctance to talk about this.

"Emmett, can we go back to the house? It's gotten kind of late."

He frowned at the obvious subject change but decided not to attack it. The last thing he needed to do was antagonize Harry's principles without meaning to. Glancing at his designer watch, he saw that it wasn't late, it was early. The time really flew by when you were engaged in a frustrating pseudo-debate with a stubborn boyfriend.

"Would you like me to carry you?"

Harry shrugged, the motion more felt than seen since he was still leaning heavily on Emmett.

Taking that as a yes, he scooped Harry up and slung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes since he knew that would tickle Harry's bizarre sense of humor and set off at a rapid sprint for the house.

All of the lights but the one over the porch were off and Bella's truck was gone from its usual spot in front of the porch, which meant everybody went to bed in their absence. The ruts from Bella's truck were filled with water and a frog happily splashed in one of them.

Harry's lips twitched. He wondered if Neville was ever going to have time off of work to come visit him. He really missed his classmate's gentle nature and ability to see another side of things that escaped Hermione's overly-analyzed conclusions and Ron's emotional reactions. He'd have to write Neville a letter tomorrow or something.

Using his keys to unlock the house, he paused in the act of taking off his coat when he realized that Emmett hadn't followed.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing! I just thought…"

Frowning, getting an idea of where Emmett was going with this, he reached out into the cold and dragged the weakly protesting Vampire inside.

"Take off your coat and shoes. You're spending the night…that is, if you think you can behave yourself." His eyes gleamed mischievously in the dim lighting and Emmett impulsively kissed his smirking lips, enjoying the freedom to do so simply because he wanted to.

"That depends on whether or not you actually want me to behave, you brat."

"Don't tempt me. Come on, you big lug, let's go to the kitchen for a moment so I can get something to drink." Taking Emmett's hand, he led them into the kitchen and went about making himself a mug of spiced cider, using a heating spell instead of the stove because he was tired.

"Won't someone mind me spending the night?" He grinned. "This is kind of scandalous."

Harry stifled a laugh and set his mug on his nightstand after taking a cautious sip. Sometimes he overdid the heating charm.

Fishing through his clothes until he found a decent pair of sleep trousers and a t-shirt, Harry started to strip without seeming to care that Emmett's eyes were rivaling the color of his Gryffindor pennant pinned to the wall above his bed.

"Nah, they won't mind an extra guest. Besides, they know that if I get upset about anything, I'll kick you someplace where it'll hurt even if you are a Vampire."

Emmett made a faint gurgling noise and Harry looked at him oddly, not seeming to care that he was in his boxers and the little anklet Luna impulsively gave him that morning (set with green stones woven into dyed hemp cord).

"Babe?"

"Uh, right, sorry!"

"About?" He stepped into the trousers and pulled the shirt on. "Oh, and did you want to borrow anything? I know you aren't going to sleep, but your clothes are kind of damp so…?"

"Nothing." He said quickly. "And I don't think you have anything that'll fit me."

Harry waved a hand. "I can re-size it."

"Oh." He looked around, spying another pair of sleep pants on the floor partially stuffed under the bed. "My shirt is fine, but these will do."

He tried not to think about wearing Harry's clothes, clothes that'd been pressed close to his bare skin-

Harry waved his wand and handed them back with a smile. "They shouldn't cause you any trouble now." He sat on his bed, lit only by the glow of his lamp, and sipped his cider slowly.

Changing into the trousers and feeling slightly awkward as he did so, Emmett settled on the bed beside him and slipped an arm around his too-skinny body. He leaned in and kissed Harry's neck when he wasn't immediately acknowledged, suddenly feeling rather attention-starved.

He got a laugh and Harry's swift fingers began to fiddle with his hair like Rosalie did, soon lulling him into the state as close to sleep as his immortality allowed. Surrounded by warmth, Harry's body, and the scent of life, he felt truly relaxed and not at all violent.

000000.

Surrounded by three insistent females, all of whom wanted to see for themselves whether or not he was really okay, Edward began to feel just slightly like a cornered animal, which was, of course, humiliating to his inner manly sense of self and so he decided to just express his frustration now before it started to build into something really nasty.

"Seriously guys, I am totally fine!"

This had no effect, and the hands continued to pat him down and Esme's eyes were wide and warm, displaying even more than her smile how happy she was to have them all together again.

Except they weren't all together like he'd thought. Emmett was missing!

"Where's Em? Did he go hunting or something?"

A lot of significant looks were exchanged and his eyes narrowed. Instead of waiting for their excuses or oblique answers, he sharpened his abilities which he normally kept dulled around them for the sake of their privacy, discovering a confusing conglomeration of images, most of which featured a scary-looking human with distracting black hair and green eyes. The word 'wizard' was strongly associated with it, and he saw, with not a small amount of shock, Emmett sitting next to Harry on a sofa and holding his hand.

Oh no. He wasn't seeing what he thought he was seeing…was he?

0000000

End chapter 32


	33. Chapter 33

CHAPTER 33

New York was a collection of massive structures swarmed by the disgusting filth of Muggles twenty-four hours a day, its garish lights and the smell of too many people's scents muddled together hitting one like a solid wall as soon as you set foot in it.

The city that never sleeps, indeed, Lucius thought to himself with a grimace.

He was tired, his very soul seeming to ache with the weight of his merest thoughts, and the wall he leaned against was stained with what smelled like urine. His nose wrinkled. He might not have the means to maintain them anymore, but inside his own mind, the standards he'd lived up to before the second War made him feel nothing but disgust for everything around him and on him.

A mere foot away from him was a pile of rags with the face of an old woman so wizened that she looked more like her face was made of bark than old flesh. She was no longer living since she'd dared to ask him for money.

No Muggle deserved the right of even making eye contact with him. Perhaps she would be considered an example for the others, to show he was not to be trifled with?

Now that he was here, he just needed to find a source of income and save enough to permit further non-magical searching. Knowing how insipid the 'Witness Protection Program' was, he doubted he would have little trouble actually locating Potter once he'd gained access to the correct facilities. They probably hadn't even changed his name!

00000

Neville sat nervously in the front seat of Sheriff Swan's automobile, their stilted conversation from earlier having ended when it was realized that they had a mutual problem with making small talk. He'd never understood the point. Shouldn't speaking be to convey something important? If you considered the incredible process that forming words and even the language you spoke them in, small talk seemed almost like a profanity against it.

And since he didn't know Sheriff Swan well enough to engage him in a discussion regarding anything important, they were left with a vaguely awkward silence.

It was broken every few minutes by Swan taking a slurp from his coffee and the occasional rustle of fabric while Neville shifted his weight. His bag was getting warmer in his arms and he knew that meant his cuttings were getting upset with him, adding an edge to his mood.

"This is it."

The car had rolled to a stop in a muddy 'drive way' in front of an old house with a wrap-around porch. There was some kind of fluffy creature with blood on its jowls sitting contentedly on the front steps, making high-pitched snoring sounds that he could hear through the car door.

"Well, thank you for driving me here." He smiled, feeling shy and unsure of himself. For some reason, the Sheriff reminded him of Professor McGonagall, which made him feel like a guilty child. "It was very kind of you."

"Don't mention it."

He might have been smiling behind his mustache, but Neville didn't risk looking too closely to confirm it one way or the other. Opening the car door, he shouldered his bag gingerly, noticing how pink his hands had gotten from the heat, and nodded a final time to the Sheriff before gingerly making his way around some deep grooves in the mud. Reaching the deceptive safety of the steps, he woke the creature and was rewarded with a swift snap at his ankles.

Yelping, he leapt upwards and backed slowly away from it until his back bumped the door, which was apparently open because it moved inward from his weight, causing a pleasant chain reaction that ended with his skull impacting with the wood flooring.

There was muffled laughter from the car, and he sat up quickly to wave at him to demonstrate that he was okay.

The car reversed and drove slowly away, although Neville fancied that he could still hear the laughter echoing inside his own head. It dredged up memories from school, of his awkward youth (not that he was fully grown now) at Hogwarts before the War intervened. He'd never gone back, either, choosing to take his NEWTS at the Ministry of Magic immediately instead of waiting until he was seventeen. Thanks to his haste, his Herbology career was just that much smoother. Looking back, though, he had to wonder what had possessed him to go behind the backs of the authorities in order to research the very carnivorous plants that got him into his current mess.

Groaning, he climbed to his feet and shrieked when he realized that the real reason the door opened so easily was because there was a massive male Vampire opening it. They stared at each other, and then Neville saw that the Vampire was also wearing sleep pants, which was kind of weird since Vampires didn't sleep. The ones he'd met in the past usually were wearing complex footwear and clothes that let them move around as easily as possible with their enhanced physical prowess.

The Vampire had a mug of coffee in one hand too.

"Uh…can I help you, man?"

"Hi!" Neville squeaked, not knowing what else to say. "I'm a friend of Harry's. Does he happen to live here?"

"Oh, yeah, he does. Are you another one of his friends from his old school?"

"Yes. I'm Neville Longbottom; we were in the same year _and _room mates. Who are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Right, hey there. It's nice to meet you." He held out his free hand to shake. "I'm Emmett Cullen and I'm Harry's boyfriend."

Boyfriend?! Since when was Harry openly gay?

"I didn't know Harry was seeing someone." He blurted out without thinking.

Emmett shrugged, standing to the side so Neville could come inside. "Its kind of new and it was more of an unofficial thing for a while. We're not rubbing it in people's faces, if you know what I mean."

Once indoors, he heard the sounds of people moving around the kitchen and wondered just how many people were here. He'd heard something a while back about Hermione moving to America after recovering fully from her comatose state, and assumed that Ron went with her, but for some reason it hadn't connected in his mind that they would seek out Harry.

"Who was it, Em?" Someone asked, coming around the corner.

Neville barely recognized Harry in the brief moment he had to see his friend's face before his sight was obscured by the very enthusiastic hug he was suddenly wrapped in. When he'd last seen him, there were dark circles rivaling a racoon's under his eyes and his skin was as gray as a dead man's. He could feel as he wrapped his arms around the world's savior that he was still skinny, but he'd gained weight since the Final Battle.

"Neville! What a surprise!"

There were loud scraping sounds from the kitchen as chairs were pushed back, the rush of footsteps, and then he was surrounded by a suffocating press of people he adored.

He didn't mind at all even though it was getting hard to breathe.

"Oh my god, when were you going to tell us you were coming?" Hermione demanded, smacking him lightly on the side of his head. He grinned sheepishly.

"I didn't have the address, or else I would have sent some kind of warning." Hugging her quickly, he let her peck him on the cheek. "I hope I'm not coming at a bad time or anything."

"You came at the perfect time." Harry grinned. "I was actually about to write you a letter and have you come visit me."

"Well, my visit isn't entirely without purpose, Harry. Could I could have a word with you?"

'In private' remained unspoken but everyone else mysteriously remembered something else they had to do, even Emmett, and they were soon left all to themselves in the tiny entryway with the dripping of rain drops sliding down the slick material of Neville's rain coat.

He removed it, trying not to make it obvious that he was stalling for time.

"So what's this about, Nev?"

He sighed. "Merlin, Harry, I'm not even sure myself. I was working that Herbology job, the one I told you about, and then I started to get a little bit restless since they had me doing basic stuff and I was itching for a challenge."

Harry's sharp intake of breath let him know that he knew where he was going with this. He soldiered on.

"I procured some cuttings of carnivorous plants found deep in the desert, the kind that eat just about anything, and was doing some tests to see what kind of vitamins and environments they needed and how their products could be used in Potions. But…"

"What happened?"

"It ate one of my assistants while I wasn't paying attention."

"_Fuck."_

"I know."

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, looking both amused and depressed at the same time. "What are we going to do? I'm assuming that plant was illegal-"

Neville nodded reluctantly.

"-so we can't come up with a viable defense in court, and since it actually ate somebody, its not like we can obliviate a couple of people and be done with it."

"Yeah…I came here because I knew there wasn't any way to get myself out of this."

Harry grinned. "And you wanted to drag me into the mud with you?"

Neville grinned back, his face almost hurting from the unaccustomed expression even though he meant it. "Hell yes."

"Well, what are friends for? So help me god, I will defend your honor to anyone who dares to come asking impertinent questions." He gestured at Neville's bag. "That's radiating visible heat waves, by the way."

"Shit!" Neville sprinted to the kitchen, quickly dumped the dishes cluttering the sink onto the counter, dipped his hand into his bag, and pulled out the cuttings. His hand burned where he touched them, and turning on the faucet was painful to his abused skin but he didn't care. He was an herbologist and had a responsibility to take care of his plants' needs!

The heat gradually began to fade as the plants absorbed the water through their woven sacks, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Over his shoulder, Harry released a breath as he spied the spiked red leaves of a very dangerous plant poking out of the top of one of the bags.

"I can see that you brought friends with you."

Neville shrugged sheepishly and Harry took one look at him before sighing gustily.

"Fine! There's room in the attic that no one is using that would get plenty of sunlight if the sun ever came out around here. You can set up a little place for your precious plants there until we can set up some kind of greenhouse in the back. I gotta warn you though: there are some very determined clans of rabbits and the like living out there in the rhododendrons and they don't like being disturbed. So if you get mauled for 'trespassing', you can't say I didn't warn you."

Neville rolled his eyes. "It can't be that serious, you prat!"

Harry just looked at him blankly and Neville began to consider the option that his friend just might be serious after all.

"By the way, where did you want to sleep? Ron and Hermione share the official guest room, Luna switches from Bert's room to mine to the couch to the porch without warning. You can sleep with me or we can enlarge the house." He shrugged. "It doesn't matter either way to me."

"Won't your boyfriend mind if I sleep with you until we enlarge the house?"

"Nah, and even if he does, we'll work it out. Unless you have issues with two guys cuddling, there shouldn't be any problems."

"It would be deeply ironic if I of all people had issues with you guys cuddling." Memories surfaced of his own coming out and how deeply offended his Gran had been. It was the real reason she no longer spoke to him, and cut him off from any of his other elderly relatives with whom he might have made connections with. That day had been one of the worst in his life.

"Exactly my point."

They smiled at each other stupidly, the ghost images sliding back into their dark corner within his mind, the same part where he kept the War and his parents.

"It's really good to see you again, Nev."

"You too; I didn't realize how much I missed you and everyone else. It's like you're my real family, complete with perverts and skeletons in the closet."

"Damn straight. Come on; let me show you the rest of the house while those plants re-hydrate themselves."

000000

Edward looked listlessly around at his new room. His music collection was carefully boxed up, the shine of the tape seeming to mock him. The room smelled faintly of fresh paint masking the underlying smell of mold, and there was a small spider in the far corner of the ceiling.

He made eye contact with it and raised an eyebrow in challenge as if to ask it if there was going to be an issue about space-sharing.

The spider obediently scuttled to the open window and crawled outside, leaving its web behind.

Satisfied that he was truly alone in his own personal space, he set about locating the box labeled 'shelves' which he knew to contain the set of collapsible shelves he owned for moving situations like this. Whenever they moved he used it as a temporary solution while picking out more permanent facilities.

He ached to see Bella, to re-assure himself that she hadn't wandered into someone else's arms while he was gone, but he knew that she was in school right now and wouldn't appreciate it.

According to Alice, he was going to need to apologize and then hope for the best, whatever that was supposed to mean.

What had he done that he needed to apologize for?

Down the hall, the creature inside the closet trembled with glee, shaking the door behind its paint with the movement. A new source had arrived, fresh and juicy with sustenance for its ravenous appetite to feast upon.

This was going to be such _fun. _

000000

End chapter 33


	34. Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34

Realizing too late that he was already late, he had to rush to school, and Harry's legs were covered with mud up to the knee from where he'd sacrificed grace for speed by the time he made it. The janitors were giving him dirty looks and he found himself flushed and irritable in second period, attention wandering from thought to thought and bypassing the lecture entirely.

Neville was in serious trouble. The Ministry might be laughably incompetent, but if they thought that this might become public (i.e. blatantly ignoring a breach of the law), they would actually do their jobs for once. Since Neville was technically a public figure, he would be prosecuted as soon as the crime was discovered.

He supposed that it was a good thing that they didn't know where he was.

A glob of mud slid down his new boot, landing with a soft _splish _on the linoleum tiles. The teacher continued to drone on, obviously not caring about his topic anymore than they did, his voice creating a sort of half-annoying buzzing in the background of Harry's consciousness.

Something stirred on the edge of his 'radar' and he perked up, turning his attention outwards. A slow smile curved across his lips when he realized what he was sensing. He'd wondered what became of his stalker; it'd been almost a week since he'd last seen him, and he was almost worried.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he spotted an extra-dark shadow in the corner accompanied by two red pinpoints for eyes and rolled his own pair of eyes. Trust Bysshe to do the most melodramatic thing he was capable of. He probably thought it was funny or something.

Actually, it kind of was, but there was no way in hell he was going to let Bysshe know that.

When the bell finally rang, he stood slowly, stretching the kinks out of his back. Folding up his books and placing them in his bag took a moment, and then he was outside, wading through the crowds of chatting teenagers, searching vaguely for Bella.

He spotted her by the vending machines just outside the doors of the cafeteria and waved. She smiled and jerked her head to let him know that she wanted him to come over faster.

"Hey you! Somebody missed first period…you got an excuse for me this time?" She put her hands on her hips, smirking down at him playfully.

"Not really, no." He shrugged. "Because I'm not ashamed of missing the first bit for once on account of my mate Neville finally shuffling himself down here to see me."

"Oh wow, really? Did he come just this morning?" She collected her coke from the machine and moved out of the way of the other impatient people wanting to use the vending services.

"Yeah, out of nowhere, too. He says that Sheriff Swan gave him a lift this morning from town to my house." He bumped their shoulders together. "Tell your dad I say thanks for me, yeah?"

"Sure. Damn, I didn't know my dad was the type to just give random kids lifts."

"Me neither and I barely know your dad at all. He just seems like the hard-core kind of guy who takes you down to the station for a quick cross-examination instead of giving you a free ride."

"Tell me about it!"

They settled into the line, still chatting, and Harry almost got away with not picking anything to eat. Unfortunately for him, Mike noticed his empty tray and that caused Bella to smack him upside the head and shovel half of her salad onto his plate. She wasn't particularly hungry herself since she knew Edward was back and probably wanting to talk to her after school, which made her stomach decide to start filling itself with nerves and indigestion.

She didn't want to see him, dammit!

Harry gave her a wounded puppy look but ate the greens anyway; chomping down with far more fervor once he realized that the most likely reason for hand tremors he'd been experiencing was malnutrition.

"So, Harry, you seem to be in a good mood for once." Jessica sniped, giggling. "What happened? Did another one of your friends show up?"

"Actually, Jessica, yes."

There was silence except for Bella's muffled laughter and Harry's chewing.

000000

After classes ended, Harry headed straight for the doors, pulling his hood up and zipping up his coat while he waited for Bella to come over so she could give him a lift to the library.

He was just getting impatient when she came into sight, smiling apologetically.

"Sorry! I realized that I forgot something in my locker and had to go back to get it."

"It's fine. You haven't made me late for work yet." He smiled to show he meant no harm, spying Bysshe leaning against a tree through the glass doors. "Besides, we're going to have an extra passenger today."

"Oh?" She asked, opening the door for them and walking towards her truck. "Who?"

"Hang on a moment."

She shrugged, not that he could see it since he'd already started moving towards the tree Bysshe was currently lounging against.

"Hey! Are you coming with me to work today to keep me company?"

"I guess I am since you bothered to come all the way over here to ask me." Bysshe stubbed out his cigarette, smiling wanly down at him. Harry wrinkled his forehead when he saw the faint signs of strain in the Vampire's stony features.

"Where have you been all this time?"

Bysshe started walking towards the truck instead of answering immediately, and Harry was about to repeat his question when he spoke up.

"Helen's had me doing some reconnaissance for her lately. Sorry I didn't have a chance to warn you or say goodbye."

They reached the car and Bysshe took the back seat without question.

"It's alright; I was just wondering. I know you can handle yourself."

He couldn't see it but he knew all the same that Bysshe was smiling. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, kiddo. Its nice to know somebody out there believes in my capabilities."

"Not a problem, you old fossil. Did you get permission to come back here and slack off or what?"

"I was 'no longer needed' for what we were working on and since I don't have anywhere else I particularly want to be, I came back here to bother you. I hope you don't mind."

Harry glanced in the rear-view mirror just in time to catch the smile fit for a shark's stretching the Vampire's face. He had to fight down a shudder. "I don't mind at all. Emmett let go of his morals long enough to sleep with me last night and another one of my friends is staying with me now, so there won't be a lot of dark corners for you to hide in."

"Dammit!"

Bella laughed, the steering wheel jerking a little with the force of it. "You guys are too much." Then the exact wording of what Harry had said processed and her eyes went wide. "You and Emmett went physical? When the fuck were you going to tell me this, you punk?!"

They gaped at her, neither one expecting that particular outburst.

"Um…Bella? He just slept with me. We didn't have sex. Hell, I don't know if I could handle having sex at this point in my life. I've been through some serious shit and that might be a little over-whelming." He fiddled with his hands, the radio suddenly very loud in the silence. "Besides, the mediwizards told me that over-exerting myself physically, emotionally, mentally or any other way you can think of might cause me to have a break-down."

Bysshe winced. "Oh, that could be ugly."

"Shut up, prick!"

The library came into view and Bella drove past the entrance to the parking lot instead of just stopping to drop Harry off. Ever since she'd started spending more time with Hermione, she began withdrawing from the study groups that interfered with them having a private chat. Besides, she often learned more from one of Hermione's ten-minute rants than an entire month's worth of meetings with her peers.

So Harry was understandably surprised when she pulled the keys out of the ignition and zipped up her coat, showing every sign of coming in with him.

"Oh, are you coming as well?"

"Mm-hm."

He decided not to ask why.

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Edward paced Bella's bedroom, not knowing what to think. The room's smell, evidence of recent presence due to the dominance of her scent, reassured him that she hadn't been kidnapped. He could see that she had been here recently and gone through her normal grooming routine, the same as any other normal morning.

The only thing that had changed was that, for some reason, Bella had a stack of books on her nightstand. He spotted a collection of Sophocles' plays, The House of Mirth, and Freud.

He blinked.

Last he'd checked, Bella indulged in a romance novel every now and then, not psychology and depressing Greek tragedies on top of it! Maybe Alice was right. Maybe Bella _had _changed.

That was a very, very scary thought.

Since there was nothing else for him to do and she did have a curfew, he sat listlessly on her bed to wait. A few minutes passed in relative tranquility, while a few browning leaves blew past the window, caught up in the wet wind.

He looked down at his hands and frowned to notice that one of his nails was cracked from some kind of accident he must have encountered on his way here. As he watched, the nail began to re-grow, pushing the dead bits away until they dropped onto the cold wood floor with a soft clatter. He tossed them into the garbage and glanced at the clock.

He'd only been here 30 minutes!

Several hours later, he began to get twitchy and picked up one of the books on a whim to distract himself. It was one of the Sophocles plays, Antigone, and he soon became immersed in the bizarrely depressing storyline to the point of not noticing when the door opened.

Bella wasn't expecting him to be reading her books, but the part of her psyche born of being an only child arose with a vengeance when she realized an essential fact about this situation. He was touching her stuff! Without permission!

Unforgivable!

Stalking across the room, she would have laughed at his startled squawk if she hadn't been both sad and furious.

"Give me that!" she took the book and slapped it down on top of the stack, breathing hard enough that her chest heaved with the effort.

Edward just looked at her for a few moments, eyes very wide and bright.

"Hello, Bella."

Her eyes narrowed, which he decided was a Bad Thing. It was even worse when she crossed her arms and started to tap one of her feet.

"Um, Bella, are you feeling alright?"

She took a deep breath. "Edward, you have five seconds to apologize and get out of my sight. If I wake up in the middle of the night and catch you watching me or look behind me sometime and discover that you're following me, I will personally have my friend Harry arrange a little something that just might involve you dead in a crypt somewhere."

He would have coughed if he knew he could get away with it.

"What would you like me to apologize for?"

She gave a scream of frustration, throwing her hands up. "For god's sake, Edward! How can you not know? You just up and left me one day without bothering to say good-bye or where you would be going! What was I supposed to think? I was so _upset _for so long, waiting for you to come back to me until one day someone I care about very much made me realize something."

"And that is?"

A triumphant smile spread across her face. "I don't need to be in a relationship to be myself. Now I believe that your five seconds expired quite some time ago, but I'm feeling merciful so you can just go now and all will be forgiven."

Flabbergasted, he remained seated on her bed staring at her. Was it just him or did she look…older?

"_Now, _Edward."

He got up and climbed out the window so quick he blurred. Somehow, during the time of his absence, the sweet and obedient girl he knew turned into Rosalie on 'one of her days'.

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End chapter 34


	35. Chapter 35

A/N: I am so sorry for the weird updating schedule! I have been away from the house (and consequently my desk) a lot lately due to crazy wedding/Easter stuff, and I apologize in case I have sent some of you who rely on this story for some kind of twisted moral support into withdrawal. I do my best, but I'm only human (unlike some people).

CHAPTER 35

"Harry?"

Harry looked up from where he'd been laying on the floor of the attic, helping Neville sketch runes on the wood floor. They weren't doing anything serious in the way of cleansing spells since the house was Muggle and had no history of lingering Dark Magic, but it was still a good idea to set up parameters for the sake of being on the safe-side.

"Yes, Emmett?"

"Would you like to come over to dinner tonight, once you're done with that?" he twisted his hands nervously, not knowing what kind of response to expect, or even what kind he wanted. The minute he'd stopped by at the house to change his clothes and have a shower to clean off the rain water and mud that inevitably built up after visiting Forks, Esme literally pounced on him and announced that Harry was coming over dinner. He wanted Harry to get to know his family better, but at the same time it was deeply embarrassing. Rosalie could be overly friendly when she felt like it and Esme was outright terrifying when in a match-making mood, whether the match was already made or not.

"I'd love to! I'll be done with this bit in a…oh…say, half an hour and then just give me a minute or two to get myself presentable. Would that be alright?"

For some reason he hadn't expected him to say yes.

"Emmett? Are you alright?"

"Yeah! I'm fine! I'm just going to leave you alone to finish your, uh, magic thingy." He waved vaguely at the faintly-glowing chalk lines and backed quickly out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Neville and Harry exchanged looks before breaking into muffled laughter.

"Harry-" Neville struggled to catch his breath, leaning heavily on the fold-up table they'd erected in the sunniest spot for the plants to be placed on, "your boyfriend is too funny! Did you see the look on his face?"

Harry nodded, still chuckling. "He looked like he thought he was going to get smacked."

"As if anyone could smack that big lug; you'd have to be able to reach his face in the first place, and in the second place, who would have the heart? He looks kind of like a little kid in a grown man's body sometimes, if you don't mind me saying so."

Harry considered this and then nodded assent. "I don't mind at all. In fact, I agree with you. It's adorable."

The door opened half-way through his sentence to reveal Hermione and Luna, the smaller of the girls cradling It in her arms and talking gibberish to it while nuzzling their noses together.

"What's adorable?" Hermione asked blandly, switching her weight to one foot while she examined their progress on the runes with a critical eye. "You wrote the wrong character there, Harry. Its supposed to be 'through', not 'throw'."

He squinted at where she was pointing, noticing his mistake. "Oh, thanks. You see, this is the real reason we keep you around. As for what's adorable, we were talking about Emmett."

"Who's Emmett?" Luna suddenly asked, her eyes fuzzier than usual.

Neville sighed. "Did you sleep like last night like I told you to after taking that potion?"

"No…I'm sorry, Neville." Luna seemed to shrink into herself, causing It to hiss, obviously upset that her center of attention had shifted without bothering to ask it first. "Should I have?"

"If you wanted to avoid some temporary patches in your recent memory such as you have suddenly developed, then the answer is yes. Jesus, Luna, I explained all of this last night!"

"Whoa, what potion?" Harry demanded, finishing the runes and crossing his arms, leveling his somewhat intimidating stare at Neville.

The taller boy immediately started fidgeting. "Um, its kind of personal, so its her decision about the whole 'telling' thing. If you guys want to talk about it, do it outside of here and let me finish up the ritual by myself."

"Neville…" Hermione growled. "_What did you do?"_

He swallowed. "That's for her to say."

She and Harry swiveled to Luna, who was already half-way out of the door, having been subtly creeping towards it while the Gryffindors were occupied with interrogating Neville.

"Don't you dare try to make a run for it, young lady. You stay right there and explain yourself."

"But it's embarrassing!"

Neville started to quietly mutter the words to the ritual to himself in an attempt to block out the impending confrontation. Another thing the War had done to all of them was to make them far more confrontational and assertive when it came to barging into someone else's personal life. There was no such thing as 'none of your business' to them anymore.

"If it was enough to indirectly cause you memory loss, then it's important!" Hermione argued, hands on hips. Beside her, Harry nodded empathically. Hermione was better at getting information out of people without torturing them, unlike him, so he was going to let her do the talking for this.

Hopefully Ron was keeping Emmett entertained enough downstairs that he wouldn't get worried and come up here to check on them. Hermione was scary when she wanted something.

"Come on, sweetheart, you can tell us. You know we won't judge. We just want to make sure you're okay." She smiled and rested her hands on Luna's shoulders, gingerly making sure that her fingers weren't looking too tasty to It.

Luna sagged. "It was a test kind of potion."

Hermione nodded. "Alright; what kind of test?"

"The pregnancy kind." She rubbed the side of her face and then her eyes, not meeting either of their gazes. It made a mournful sound in its throat and nuzzled her cheek, trilling quietly and almost hopefully, as if It wanted her to cheer up. She smiled ruefully down at her pet and petted his nose.

Neville continued to chant in the background, now entirely absorbed in the cleansing ritual. The chalk was slightly blinding to look at if you were stupid enough to look at it.

"What did it show?"

"Blue." She whispered.

Harry sighed. "Hermione, you deal with this. You know more about the female side of magical what-sits. Have fun and don't do anything drastic." He patted Hermione on the arm and hugged Luna despite the risk of getting chomped on by It, making for the door.

"Wait!"

He paused.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"I'm having dinner with Emmett's coven tonight."

She raised an eyebrow. "And what, exactly, do you intend to eat while you're there?"

His mouth fell open. "Good point. I'll ask him. We both know how cranky my healers would get if they found out I was skipping meals for the sake of keeping my boyfriend company."

"Yeah, except you _are _skipping meals."

Harry shrugged. "I'm not dead yet, so…"

"Oh, whatever, Harry. Just don't look at me when you faint in the middle of school some day. You might have gained some weight, but you're not out of the woods yet and I'm going to crack down on your ass pretty soon!"

0000000

Edward methodically shredded the branches off of a tree deep within the woods where it hopefully wouldn't be noticed, the sap coating his hands and making them stick to the bark. The sensation was abrasive but he embraced the small irritation because it gave him yet another thing to think about other than his ex-girlfriend's apparent personality flip.

He'd read about this in psychology texts, where someone's personality changes entirely into something else for seemingly no reason. That had to be the real reason behind this, because there was no way that Bella would ever reject him unless she was no longer the same person.

Or maybe someone cloned her! He chewed his lip while thinking that one over, the twigs crumbling into sticky paste beneath his grip. If he'd been human, his hands would have been shredded long ago.

Something needed to be done about this, which was for sure. If Alice was here she would just tell him to give Bella her space, but he just wasn't convinced that that was the answer right now. Bella needed to know that she was his and that they were in love. He was convinced that she was the soul mate he'd waited for while all of his other siblings were pairing off so fucking neatly.

Well, Rosalie and Emmett split up, which was kind of mind-blowing. He knew Rosalie was avoiding him too so he couldn't read her thoughts. He'd catch her soon, but for now he was dying to have more details. Since when was his coven accepting of homosexuality, anyway? It wasn't that he had a personal issue with it, but it was kind of out of the blue.

He shredded another branch.

Tomorrow he was going to see Bella again, and the day after that and after that. Every day, in fact, until she realized that she was in love with him and went back to being the nice girl he knew.

Sure of his decision and far calmer than he'd been hours beforehand, he left the clearing deep within the woods, wiping his sticky hands on his designer trousers with a grimace.

All that was left of the tree was a spiky stub.

00000000

Esme studied the cooking manual with a serious expression on her face, Carlisle hovering by her shoulder and thoroughly chastised after she'd smacked his hand out of the way when he tried to turn the page.

"Honey, that's just an illustration. There's no need to burn it with your eyes." He tentatively repeated his earlier motions, trying to wrest the crumbling volume from her hands. "Are you sure there are no newer recipes you'd rather try?"

"Don't talk to me like I'm a child, Carly. This is the recipe my mother used to make and so help me god, I'm going to make it too!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Is this some kind of cosmic hint that you want Harry in the family permanently?"

"Well…not _permanently, _obviously, since he's human, but I would still like them to stays together long enough to exchange the usual bands of slavery." She indicated her wedding ring, staring wistfully down at the kitchen counters. There was a fine sheen of dust on everything which she was going to recruit Alice and Jasper to clean for her, and then she would need to unpack her pans since she didn't keep them out on display like the regular dishes.

"I understand. No further objections from me, although I have no idea where you buy half of that stuff." He held up his hands as a sign of peace, not expecting to find one suddenly stuffed with a distressingly-long grocery list.

"You can go find out, can't you?"

She was giving him the eyes. He sighed, crinkling the list slightly as he stuffed it into his breast pocket. "Fine!"

"Thank you!" She called cheekily after him, but the door was already closed behind his retreating back. Turning back to the kitchen, she sighed and got out the cleaning supplies from under the sink. "Alice?"

Heading upstairs, and then another and another until she came to the topmost level, she sought out her daughter. Passing by a bit of the freshly-painted wall made a powerful shudder go down her spine and she stood stock still, straining her senses to try and divine what it'd been.

All she got were the distant sounds of her family amusing themselves in various ways, and the soft swooshing sound of Alice's paintbrush.

She made her way down the hall until she could knock on the door. "Alice?"

"Yeah, Esme?"

"Would you be willing to help me in the kitchen before Harry comes over?"

There was the clatter of things being swiftly put away and the door jerked open rather suddenly, groaning loudly on its hinges.

"I would absolutely love to! I'll get Jasper to come help out too!"

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End chapter 35

Gah! I know it's short! Happy Easter anyway?

.


	36. Chapter 36

CHAPTER 36

Hermione made them tea in a matter of seconds, silently handing Luna the mug with a little cartoon fox on it instead of the much plainer one with roses that she was using herself. Why two guys had a rose-patterned mug was beyond her knowledge but she wasn't complaining. Bert struck her as a little flamboyant anyway.

"Okay, let's start at the top, shall we?" Luna nodded assent, sipping her tea somewhat shamefully. Hermione continued, asking the question that had been foremost in her mind. "Do you have any idea who the father might be?"

Luna shrugged. "There were a couple of guys pretty close together when I was in Australia, and then a ship's captain…" She tapped her chin in thought. "Oh yeah… there was this one other guy a couple weeks ago."

"Since when have you been so promiscuous?" Hermione asked, sniffing at her tea. It was a new flavor and she wasn't sure she liked it. It was a little too White to her; she preferred her tea as dark as she could get it for the sake of the stronger caffeine and taste.

"I've always been like this. I just must have missed a day of my birth control or something stupid like that."

Hermione nodded sagely. "All it takes is one screw-up and this could happen."

"You say that like it's a bad thing!" Luna defended, wrapping her arms unexpectedly around her middle. She got a funny look in return and would have flushed if she wasn't too upset. "A child is nothing to regret, Hermione! Sure, I would have preferred more stable circumstances and to be of legal age to care for it, but there are lots of people out there that can't have children. One of them is bound to be just right for it."

"So…you're keeping it?"

"Is there another option? Hermione, we've been through so much death and destruction at so young; don't you think that going through this process of birth might, you know, heal some of the scars?"

Hermione felt chastised. Luna was right. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pressure you or disrespect your decision. Now that I think about it like that, you're right." She crossed the small space between them and bent down to hug her seated friend. "I missed your perspective, babes."

"Because it's illogical?"

She laughed into the blonde's hair, inhaling the smell of honeysuckle and blueberries, the two scents she associated with summer. "Yes. I tend to skip that step right to the facts, and that comes back to bite me."

"I'm glad you approve. By the way, if I can convince my dad to let me keep it since its his signature that's going to matter on the papers, would you be willing to be godmother?"

Her eyes widened. "Me?"

"Unless you don't want to…" Luna's lower lip wobbled and her eyes glistened with moisture, the sight tugging on the heart strings Ron sometimes questioned the very existence of. Hermione sighed.

"It's not that I don't want to, its just that I'm not sure I have any right to be the part of a young child's life, much less an infant's."

"Why not?"

"Because…just because."

"Will you at least think about it? This isn't even a definite situation. My dad mostly drools these days anyway." She giggled, the sound high-pitched and strange-sounding while she tried to make light of the situation that had made her childhood miserable in so many ways. Living literally on the whim of a madman was no way to grow up.

"I…alright. If your dad lets you keep the kid, I'll help raise it."

Luna's smile could have powered Iceland for a thousand years.

0000000

The process of re-creating the recipe was arduous and Carlisle very nearly ripped the stove from the wall and shredded it when it refused to function according to the directions (since when did a simple heating contraption become so complicated?) and burned two of the attempts.

His ear still kind of rung from where Esme had boxed it.

But finally success was reached and a meal that was most probably edible was produced, and Alice even made pudding (because she'd read about it in Charles Dickens) to finish it off with while Rosalie shocked them all into silence by producing one of her covetously protected bottles of vintage wine for Harry.

When asked why, she merely smirked. The bottle was consequently checked for poison and built-in explosives the moment she turned her back. They were almost disappointed to find it entirely untouched and safe for consumption.

Throughout all of this, their excitement grew. Sure, they had all met Harry before except for Edward, but that had been a while ago and Emmett was looking more and more serious about him. Esme had her fingers crossed, so to speak. They hoped Harry could mesh well with all of them and of course Carlisle was running a bet with Jasper regarding whether or not Harry would like the food.

The door finally opened and they almost launched into their pre-prepared welcome speeches before they realized that it was only Edward, with splinters in his hair and pine sap stains covering his pants as well.

"Edward! Where have you been?" Esme shrilly asked, descending like an angry Valkyrie upon him and seized his ear. "You come with me right this instant. We are having a guest over and you are not presentable in any sense of the word! I am appalled!"

No one made any move to assist the bronze-haired Vampire as he was bodily dragged out of sight, and, judging from the disturbing thumping noises, upstairs. She was probably going to scrub him down with her bare hands.

The door opened a second time, this time to reveal Emmett, who suddenly looked like a mouse caught in the claws of a lion. He squeaked quietly before getting gently moved forward and to the side just enough for Harry to squeeze around him. His eyes also widened when he caught sight of the ranks of his boyfriend's family.

"Oh, something smells good!"

He smiled brightly at them all, noticing that Esme was absent after a moment of scanning the lines. "Um, not that I'm not thrilled to see all of you again, but where's Mrs. Cullen?"

"She'll be with us in a moment." Carlisle smiled, holding out his hand. Harry took it and let the Vampire gently squeeze it. "And thank you for coming."

"Oh, it's my pleasure! I love seeing the kinds of environments people have lived in; it makes it easier for me to get to know someone."

There was a slightly awkward moment broken by Esme coming down the stairs with a still-dripping Edward on her heels, looking like a sullen child. He stiffened when he caught Harry's scent, head swiveling towards the human.

Harry waved cheekily.

"Hi there! You must be this mysterious Edward who's been avoiding me."

Edward made a vague choking noise.

"Would you like something to drink?" Jasper swiftly cut in before anything hairy could happen, appearing without warning just behind Harry's shoulder. Emmett grumbled at him for startling his boyfriend, the blonde's reply being a flamboyant hair toss.

"Some water would be nice, if you don't mind."

"I wouldn't have asked if I did." Jasper smoothly left the room, flicking his eyes to his wife just before turning the corner. She snapped out of her half-daydream involving Harry and Emmett frolicking in a field of daisies (she needed to lay off of the chick flicks) to lead to way into the living area, where some plastic was still wrapped around one of their new chairs.

"So Harry, how is school?"

"It's pretty boring these days since the curriculum could have been written with monkeys in mind, but at least its something to do. I'm trying to look at it as a cultural experience. How about yourself? Are you enrolled anywhere right now? Emmett told me you guys have been through the 'system' quite a few times."

She giggled. "Not at this moment, but I am considering a design school for the next time we are in a situation where I need to fake my age. There are some new techniques out with the upgraded technology of today that I would like to learn more about sometime."

He nodded, smiling. "So you like art?"

"Oh yes. I couldn't pick a favorite style or form, either. I just love to create and see what other people create as well. Speaking of creation, Rose has been drawing up plans to make a model of Tokyo out of sugar cubes."

"Whoa, really? You guys must have the patience of saints and steady hands of surgeons." He accepted the water from Jasper with a nod, taking a sip. "I tried to do that once with just a simple pyramid and had to give up."

"Why?" Carlisle asked, leaning forward.

"I ran out of sugar cubes."

"Couldn't you have bought more?"

Harry shrugged, trying to be causal about this. "I…my parents left me a lot of money, but I didn't have access to it growing up outside of using a stipend to pay for my school fees. I was kind of a frugal kid."

"Oh."

Esme came out of the kitchen, looking both nervous and excited. Her hands fluttered at the ties to her apron like butterflies, a blur of motion tipped with her red nail varnish. "Dinner's ready if you are, by the way."

They stood as one after Harry nodded, heading for the dining room that had been hastily cleared of all board games and paperwork, which was its usual function since it got a lot of sunlight.

There was one lonely place setting.

Swallowing the feeling of being an exhibit on display, Harry sat and arranged himself like he would have if he was in some kind of posh restaurant, napkin in lap and everything.

"Do you lot say grace?"

A collective shrug followed his statement. "We can if you do." Carlisle offered pragmatically, thoughts turning to his own ancestor and what he would have thought of this situation. A faint smirk threatened to show on his frigid features but he restrained it, not wishing it to be misinterpreted as mockery by his guest.

Edward snorted and Rosalie dug her spike heel straight through his sneaker, almost puncturing his foot. He winced at the sensation, giving her a scowl that she ignored, eyes fixed straight ahead of her.

"It's alright, I just didn't want to be rude." He was aware of how stupid he sounded, so he just took a bite to hide it. The topmost layer was a little brittle from over-cooking, but besides that minor flaw, the rest of it was good. His smile became more genuine and he told Esme that it was good.

"I wasn't the only one to contribute. I made sure everyone helped out a little."

He nodded. "That's how it was at my best mate's house. It's a lot of work to feed a lot of people, or to learn a new skill. Sometimes the more hands you've got, the better it is."

This statement was met with general agreement and the conversation flowed fairly easily with only a few silent moments during which they thought about what topic to bring up next. It was during one of these moments that Edward spoke up for the first time.

"Why can't I read your mind?"

Harry blinked, pausing mid-bite of pudding. "I beg you pardon?"

"Your mind…it's like a blank wall. It almost hurts when I try to sense your thoughts."

"Sorry about that; I think my shields need some strengthening if it doesn't actually hurt. You see, I can't have just anyone poking around in my thoughts. Not only would that violate my already fragile sense of self, but I also know some much classified information that could be very, very dangerous in the wrong hands. Speaking of dangerous, didn't you date Bella Swan?"

Everyone froze.

"As far as I'm concerned, we never stopped. She just doesn't realize that."

This time it was Harry who snorted. "Good luck with that."

"She threatened me with you, you know. You don't look so tough, though." _'Except for the maniacal glow lurking just behind his eyes…' _he mentally added.

"I apologize for being a disappointment, Edward. My self-esteem relies heavily on what near-strangers thick of me."

Esme started to clear the dishes, Carlisle leaping in to assist her. Alice snuggled closer to Jasper, however, anticipating a good show.

"Tch, as if you had anything to hold in esteem."

Harry smiled a strange, tight-lipped smile that Emmett had never seen before (not that he was complaining. He kind of liked this aggressive side of Harry). "If you are so high and mighty, then tell me what you plan to do about your little monster."

Edward frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"The monster living on one of the upper levels of your house, of course. What do you plan to do about it with your fancy Vampire powers, pretty boy?" noticing the looks on their faces, his face softened in surprise. "Wait, you didn't know?"

"Um…"

"How can you not know when the signs are obvious? The shadows are longer here than they should be, I keep hearing things creak that have no business creaking, and of course I can sense it. I'm guessing it's a poltergeist or maybe even an old boggart…"

"What's a boggart?" Alice asked curiously, now sitting tense and worried like everyone else.

"It's a magical monster that turns into your worst fear the moment you set eyes on it as a defense mechanism. You defeat it by laughing."

"Oh."

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End chapter 36

Bahaha!


	37. Chapter 37

A/N: In answer to all of the reviews mentioning how full the house is getting, allow me to defend the realism of it: at one point (when I was about 3) when my family was living in an apartment, I shared a room with my 3 older siblings, my parents had one room, my mom's two younger brothers had rooms, and a friend of my maman also joined us. Not to mention my grandparents stopped in sometimes while they were still alive.

So yeah... *coughs*

And many thanks to Purple Uranium for the comprehensive reviews!

In addition to this, I've started the painful 'spring cleaning' process so updates might be spotty.

CHAPTER 37

"Well, since I've finished eating, how about we all go investigate?"

Harry's inappropriately cheerful proposition was met with silence, the Vampires still trying to comprehend how something as drastic-sounding as a monster could have escaped their notice for so long. They were Vampires, for god's sakes! What use were heightened senses if they couldn't sense an entire being living under their own roof? Even now as they stretched out their senses, probing for an intruder, the only foreign presence they could find was Harry.

"Any luck?" He asked, as if he knew what they'd just been doing. Edward was sure he did know somehow.

"There's nothing. Are you sure you are not…mistaken?"

"Positive; I've never been wrong when my spine feels like this. If you can't feel anything, then it must be intangible. You can only smell physical things, yes?"

"Well of course. What sort of intangible thing could we be ignorant of?"

Harry waved a hand flippantly. "Oh, you know…things like souls and feelings…and spirits, malignant or benign. But enough theory! That thing isn't going to leave all by itself, after all." Without further explanation, he strode towards the stairs and began to climb them one at a time, Emmett hot on his heels with everyone else crowding along as well.

He stopped on the second floor, eyes scanning the area. Apparently dissatisfied, he continued to climb, a coven of puzzled Vampires still following. Rosalie had the wine in hand though, to use as a club.

It wasn't until they were treading down the hall of the attic that Harry paused.

"Got it. It's just behind that wall right here." He indicated with a finger the painted-over door Jasper noticed when they bought the house.

"So _that's _why it was blocked off!" Alice breathed, eyes glimmering in the gloom of the poorly-lit attic.

"Maybe this house used to be occupied by my kind?" Harry suggested, stepping neatly to the side when Jasper smashed his fist into the wall, sending a shower of paint chips and plaster flying.

"You're cleaning that up later, Jasper." Esme admonished, sending the plaster a disapproving look. He didn't seem to hear her now that Emmett was assisting him with the demolishment of the wall. They had it cleared away in record time to reveal a gaping square in the wall.

It looked perfectly ordinary to them but Harry snarled.

"Do you have a permit?"

There was silence. They looked at each other, wondering which one of them should tell him that all he was talking to was a crusty brick enclosure.

"Harry, its empty-"

"No, it isn't. And please don't interrupt it. Don't you move a muscle! Hey! Get back here!" the last bit was directed at a spot of air very close to Alice, and she suddenly began to breathe deeply, eyes wide and pupils dilated.

A keening noise came out of her throat and her knees gave out without warning.

"Get off of her!" Harry shouted, whipping out his wand and aiming it at her. "This is your last chance. Don't make me use force on you!"

There was a pause, and then Harry relaxed from his stiffened stance even as Alice slumped to the ground, limp as a rag doll. "Thank you for being mature about this. Now, do you care to explain your presence in this house? It is occupied by Muggle Vampires now, so you had better have a damn good excuse or you'll be facing legal prosecution."

He began to look very unimpressed and reached into his pocket for a notepad and pencil. "And this happened when, exactly?" a moment later he frowned outright. "That's expired by now. You'll have to come with me and we'll re-situate you someplace where you're more suited. And yes, there will be things to nibble on. As if I would let you starve!"

Reaching out, he seemed to grip something around shoulder level and said gravely, "Give them back first."

Alice spasmed and then sat up straight with a gasp, nearly breaking Jasper's nose when her forehead impacted with his face.

"Holy shit!" she whispered, looking shaken.

Rosalie was watching all of this keenly and stepped forward to stand a foot in front of where Harry was gripping. She punched it right around gut level, grinning when the walls shook with unseen force.

"No one messes with my family and gets away with it, you bastard."

Harry's cough sounded suspiciously like a laugh. "No objections from me, ma'am." He hastily said when she turned her gaze to him, pale eyebrows drawn together into a 'v' shape far more threatening than the clouds of a typhoon. "I consider that to be perfectly justified."

"Good. I'd hate to come between you and Emmett."

His smile became strained and he nodded, pushing past her to descend the stairs, still dragging his invisible companion with him. He called after himself, "Emmett, I'm going home. Come along if you like."

"Coming! We'll take my car."

Their voices faded away, leaving the Cullens standing in stunned silence, alone with the now-empty orifice that had housed for an indeterminate amount of time some invisible evil.

"Are you alright, Alice?" Jasper whispered, cautiously touching his wife's arm. She nodded shortly.

"I've never felt something so strange or terrifying in my life. I couldn't fight back…Jasper, I felt _old, _like I was dying."

Esme rubbed her back comfortingly, shaking her head. "I wonder why it attacked you?"

"Probably because she was the one it thought was least likely to fight back." Edward sneered, getting glared at by everyone but Alice, who would have done so as well if she wasn't too out of it. "What? She's obviously weaker than the rest of us."

"I'd watch my words if I were you, my son. I'm willing to forgive you since I know you are a little emotional right now, but don't take your pain out on Alice. That's just cruel." Esme said quietly, wrapping an arm around Alice and sandwiching her between herself and jasper, who was scowling at Edward.

"You're lucky mom's here, Ed. I'm not nearly so willing to let this kind of bullshit from you slides by." He growled, the gleam that had no-doubt proceeded the brutal killing sprees of his past lighting up his eyes.

Edward actually took a step back.

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The poltergeist was disposed of with anti-climactic ease the moment he set foot in his house, the spirit building up a friendly rapport with Bert within moments despite it being the cause behind the disruption in Bert's rapt attention to his research.

"You've got nothing to worry about, Harry! I'll have him down at the Ministry in a wink, and you two will probably never have to meet again. There's a chance of me getting detained there, of course, so don't wait up." With that somewhat ominous message and a wink, Bert vanished.

Harry let out a sigh, leaning without warning (and rather heavily, too) back against Emmett's chest.

"Any objections to just going to bed now?"

"None come to mind." Emmett forced out of his closing throat, trying not to inhale Harry. As if he knew what was happening, Harry commandeered one of his hands and pushed another one of those 'charms' that looked like metal spikes into his hand.

"There. That should hold you for a while."

"…Thanks."

"No problem. C'mon, let's go." He sleepily led the way upstairs, pausing at the top to stare down, unimpressed, at Ron sprawled on the floor in a sleeping bag. He nudged him with his toe a couple of times until the redhead snorted and sat up, rubbing groggily at his eyes.

"Oi! Why are you waking me up? Where's the fire, you bastard?"

"Heh, sorry." Harry shrugged sheepishly, all signs of the aggressive firecracker that'd not only cowed Edward but defeated some kind of spirit gone. "I just wanted to know what you did to end up in the hall and if I should avoid Hermione as well."

"Oh, we didn't have a fight. Hermione wanted to support Luna or something. She said all of this complicated psychology stuff to me about 'security'…either way, I ended up in the hall."

"You can come sleep in my room. We'll just conjure another bed."

"Seriously? I won't be intruding or anything?" he gestured vaguely between Harry and Emmett, face, neck, and ears bright red with the embarrassment he'd been teased for during their stints at school.

"Not at all. You don't mind, do you, Emmett?"

What was he supposed to say?

"Nope."

"Then it's settled!" Harry hauled Ron up by the scruff of his neck without warning, earning a quiet laugh from his friend. They piled their way into his large room, discovering Neville quietly reading on a bed, a pen behind his hair and partially tangled in his hair. He looked up at their entrance, smiling.

"Hey guys. How was dinner with the boyfriend's family? Did anyone pressure you to propose?" Neville grinned cheekily at them, ducking the swing Harry took at his head for bringing up the 'P word'.

"Hey yourself, Neville. The dinner was pretty smooth except for this nasty poltergeist I found hiding out in their attic feeding off of their energy." When Neville and Ron gaped at him, he reassured them quickly, "But its okay now; I got it under my control while it tried to attack his sister and managed to bring it over here. Its Bert's problem now, so heaven help the poor bugger." He shrugged. "How did the attic cleansing go?"

"I…you can't just change the subject like that!" Ron nearly shouted, getting a warning look from Neville who jerked his head in the direction of the room containing two short-tempered girls who didn't like getting their sleep interrupted. Ron obediently lowered his voice to an angry hiss, "I can't believe you would just try to gloss over that! Poltergeists are dangerous; Peeves might have been a prankster who thought stink bombs were funny, but most Poltergeists enjoy raping anything that catches their fancy in any way they please. Can you honestly tell me that you're okay?"

He was really worked up now, hands gripping Harry's shoulders. Neville was half-poised on the bed, ready to step in and do something if Ron got out of control. The redhead's emotions just might tilt Harry over the edge he was forever teetering on, and none of them wanted to watch another building blow up instantaneously because Harry lost it.

"Ron, I'm fine. Nothing happened except a few bites out of Alice's memories." He gently covered Ron's hands with his own, doing his best to look as truthful as he could.

Emmett didn't know what to say or do, but he felt like he was missing something. Why were the window panes shaking, for instance, and why was everyone so on edge? He knew it had to have something to do with their shared past and felt bitter regret put a sour taste in his mouth and a lead weight in his stomach. No matter how close he tried to get, it was like there would always be a wall between them because he _wasn't there._

He finally started to breathe normally, blue eyes clearing. "Just don't scare me like that again and try to brush it off. That isn't funny."

Harry nodded. "I know. Now, since it's late and we're all tired, how about we just forget about this until tomorrow and get some sleep?"

Lying in bed, his face tucked neatly into the little spot between Harry's neck and shoulder that could have been specially made just for him since it fit just right, Emmett contemplated what he was going to do in the future to prevent Harry from getting hurt through his own ignorance of how to protect him.

He was no more satisfied with his options by the time the sun came creeping over the horizon, light dulled by the dense cloud cover.

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End chapter 37


	38. Chapter 38

CHAPTER 38

The house was quiet except for the soft sound of Emmett turning the pages of Harry's copy of 'the Bhagavad Gita' and Bert's soft snoring filtering through the floorboards to reach his pricked ears.

An hour ago his thoughts became so muddled that he knew he had to distract himself somehow, even if that meant reading about someone else's religion. He still didn't know what he was going to do since there was no way to travel back in time and develop such closer-than-family bonds like those Harry had with his friends, but he did know one thing: from now on, he wasn't going to let Harry out of his sight if he could. Sure, he would still have to go to classes-

"Shit!" he bounded out of bed, rushing to pull on his shirt and shoes, not noticing that he'd awakened Harry, who was propped up on his elbows watching him with a half-smile.

"Going somewhere?"

He jumped. "Oh, sorry! Did I wake you up?"

Harry shrugged. "It's okay, I was going to have to eventually anyway; I've got school."

"So do I unfortunately. I may not be able to sleep, but it's very soothing to watch you do so." He bent down and lightly kissed Harry's cheekbone, smiling when Harry did the same to him without hesitation.

"Good luck hitting the books." Harry smirked, curling back into the covers and stretching backwards, arching his back so it would crack and sighing when it did. "Will I see you later?"

"I'll come meet you in the library, yes." He waved good-bye and left the room as quietly as he could, not wanting to wake Neville or Ron. Harry watched him go with a bemused smile on his face, eyes distant.

Emmett was acting strange.

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While Harry was at school, Ron slept an extra two hours and then rolled out of bed, hitting the floor with a painful thud. Neville was already awake and no doubt the girls were as well, so he made sure to knock before going into the bathroom.

Half-way through his shower he discovered It crouched in the corner of the stall and watching him curiously. He spent the second (and very rushed) half as far away from It as humanly possible, actually climbing on top of the counter surrounding the sink afterwards instead of trying to touch the ground with his feet. The thick fur might conceal the creature's teeth most of the time, but that didn't make them any less of a threat to his toes. He quite liked having all ten toes, thank you very much, and while he might be accused of being thick from time to time, but he wasn't being thick right now.

Escaping the bathroom and It, he descended the stairs to find Luna alone in the kitchen, staring at the coffee canister while sipping her beverage, eyes unfocused.

He patted her shoulder as he made his way to the refrigerator and began to make himself some toast. As he was spreading butter on it, he felt her eyes wander to his back and turned to smile at her.

"Good morning."

"Good morning…"

The toast burned his fingers a little and he winced, pulling back his hands and putting the butter away. "How're you feeling?"

Luna shrugged listlessly. "I'm going to go talk to my dad today, to tell him about my baby and see what he thinks. I hope he's having one of his good days, the days when he can talk back to me and know what's going on."

Ron nodded.

"I…Ron, I know this might not be appropriate, but would you like to come with me?"

"Like, as moral support?"

"Something like that, yes. You don't have to if you don't want to- it was just a request." She hunched her shoulders, taking a sip of her coffee. Ron wondered when, exactly, Luna had become so unconsciously defensive.

"Sure, I'd love to. Just let me check with Hermione first and make sure she doesn't need me to help her brainstorm. Two heads are better than one when you're working on theories, you know."

"Uh-huh."

They were quiet except for the scrape of the chair when Ron sat down across from her, biting into his toast. And then something occurred to him, shattering the almost peaceful feeling that'd settled over his shoulders like a warm blanket.

"Um, Luna?"

"Yes, Ronald?"

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

She giggled. "As long as I can preserve the right to remain silent, sure. Ask away."

"The wounds around your middle, the ones you had when you came here, were they from the father of your child?"

Her eyes shuttered and she looked back down at her coffee, turning the mug around in her hands.

"Is that a yes?"

She nodded.

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Washing dishes is not glamorous. When someone refers to a period in their past when they were willing to accept any job they could, washing dishes in a cheap restaurant is one of the options that comes up frequently. This is probably because it was thoroughly unenjoyable and only the desperate sank to it.

Or so Lucius liked to think. It made him feel a little bit better.

And to add to his workload, since he had nothing better to do but make as much money as he possibly could as fast as possible before he died, he was also cleaning toilets. Public ones.

It was the final blow to take away any lingering fondness he might have had for human nature.

Scrubbing hard at a hard lump of dried hot sauce and black beans and rice that had congealed themselves into some kind of glue, he let his thoughts wander. He was close to his goal. He could _feel _it, and the moment he got so much as a whisper about the Potter boy (and there would be whispers because Potter never could stay out of the lime light for long), he would follow it, no matter how unlikely.

Someone came into the greasy eatery, seating themselves in the booth in the far corner. It was a man, the shoulders giving him away, and he was wearing a long thick coat made out of some kind of tweed that they no longer sold because it looked like vomit.

The stranger lit a cigarette, leaning back in the booth and pulling off the hood of their sweatshirt to reveal streakily-dyed brown hair in the most unflattering shade available and faintly glimmering eyes.

Lucius sucked in a breath. Pureblooded wizards prided themselves on their untainted bloodlines and in this day and age were ostracized for it. But there was something to be said about having no mud in one's blood:

You could always know when someone else magical was around.

And right now he was positive that the newest customer, currently flicking ash onto the cracked floor tiles, was a full-blooded Vampire. What a Vampire of that caliber was doing in a measly Mexican restaurant funded by various nefarious circles was beyond him, but he intended to find out.

Finishing his shift in what felt like years instead of half an hour, he sidled around the establishment to sit across from him in the booth, folding his hands on the table. The Vampire didn't even acknowledge him for a moment, gaze fixed on the streets outside the grimy window.

It was then that his diseased mind told him what was so familiar about this Vampire: it was the same one that had so ruthlessly shredded into bite-size pieces the rest of the Death Eaters!

Bysshe felt Lucius' gaze on him from the moment he stepped inside and was enjoying ignoring the man. When he felt that he had snubbed what little ego the blonde might still have retained, he turned his head in a lazy movement to regard him.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes. You can either do me a favor or you can die."

Bysshe grinned. "Aren't those the same thing in this situation?"

"Don't play games, you bastard. You killed my comrades and no matter how little they may have meant to me, that still gives me the right to kill you out of vengeance. Such is what the old laws dictate and I intend to carry them out."

"An eye for an eye, so to speak?"

"Exactly. I'm glad we understand each other. However, I feel merciful so I would like to present you with another option: you tell me where Potter and his little weasel friends are and I let this slide."

"No offense, but you don't look so good, man. You don't look like you could kill an ant. Are you feeling alright?"

Lucius snarled. "My health is no concern of yours!"

"Hey, I'm not trying to start a war. I was just pointing it out. Besides, I don't feel very threatened by someone about to keel over and die, so it did have some relevance to our little deal."

He ground his teeth together. Why wasn't this going the way he planned? It used to be so easy to make deals like this, to twist people around his finger or break their bones until they begged to be able to do what he wanted from them. "Are you going to tell me where he is?"

"What makes you think I even know?"

"The fact that you only pointed that out now, when I brought it up again. You are a very skilled tracker and I know you are more than capable of finding a particular person if given a sample of their smell, no matter how far they might run or how deep they might dig to hide themselves."

"I'm flattered-"

"I can see that you are determined to be useless to me. Very well. I do not wish to encounter you again, blood-sucker."

Bysshe shrugged, looking smugger than a cat in a fishery. "Hey, I'm a paying customer. You can't just kick me out of here, dish boy."

Lucius growled and stood up from the booth, nearly tripping over his untied shoe lace on his way to the back door. He had some toilets to clean and the banshee who dictated how he did so did not like to be kept waiting.

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Harry moved the cart heavy with books throughout the shelves, wondering how such a small amount of people could take out so many books and just leave them lying around. His day hadn't been the greatest. First, he'd been taken to the principal's office and told off for skipping so many classes, secondly he was bodily dragged by Bella to the nurse's office to check out a scrape on his knee from the week before that he'd completely forgotten about until he re-opened it, and then he was personally escorted by a hall monitor to all of his classes to 'ensure attendance'. He wanted a cigarette badly, too, since he wasn't given a moment of peace to himself in which to indulge, which didn't help his temper.

Understandably, he was not amused when Bysshe ambushed him.

Kicking under the weight of the Vampire, he grumbled and tried to shove Bysshe's nose to the side so it would crack. He knew it wouldn't do any permanent damage, but it sure as hell would make him feel better!

"Calm down, Harry." Bysshe soothed, hesitating a second before gently tucking some of Harry's hair that'd worked its way out of its twist-tie behind his ear. "I'm not here to hurt you. I just need to tell you something important, and the sooner you calm down the sooner I can tell you what it is."

Harry huffed but stopped trying to kick him.

"This had better be good, Bysshe, because I am _so _not in the mood."

"Lucius is looking for you."

"What?!"

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End chapter 38

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	39. Chapter 39

CHAPTER 39

The Department of Mysteries was populated only by two staff members at the lovely hour of three in the morning, named Zelda Farago and Ada Esperello.

Bert was fully convinced that both women operated under false names that were a little too obvious, but asked no questions and made no comment even as Ada's false mustache slipped to one side as she thumbed through the manuals until she found one titled Poltergeist Records of Existence, volume 87. Thankfully, there weren't a whole lot of the pesky spirits to keep records of.

"Alright, behave yourself and sign right there." He pointed at the top of the form, handing the Poltergeist a pen. It was a straggly-looking thing, resembling in as much a way as a spirit can an old man, it's beard a wispy cloud hanging to his knees.

The poltergeist took it, peered at it, and popped it into his mouth.

Bert groaned. "Oh, come on! It's just a signature, not a death warrant! Now sign it…" He shoved another quill at it, looking meaningfully at the clock. "We haven't got all day, you know!"

"Why not? The day is young and I like the feel of this room…and the young lady's precious little souls just waiting to be devoured. I think I'll stay a little longer."

"Absolutely not!" Bert had forgotten how infuriating Poltergeists could be when they didn't feel threatened enough to co-operate. "I can understand your need for sustenance, but by no means will I allow it to be through illegal means. We have the souls of those sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss preserved for occasions such as this. Mindless slaughtering of lives is not only unnecessary but will cause me to be required by law to cage you rather unpleasantly."

"I doubt it could be more unpleasant than the broom closet I've been hiding out in. do your worst!"

And just like that, a malignant spirit was loose in the Department of Mysteries. Quite a lot of damage and soul-shed would have occurred…if this had been any other Department. Being as it was, however, the wards guarding against such an occurrence sprang into action and in the blink of an eye; the nameless Poltergeist was restrained inside a green bottle.

It glared at Bert through the glass, insubstantial fists trying to bang on the hard surface. Bert just raised an amused eyebrow.

"Fine then. No signature."

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Harry didn't particularly like having bad news dumped onto him when he was having a good day, and he absolutely hated it when it happened on a bad day.

"Since when? And how do you know this?" He demanded, hoping he didn't sound as childish and flustered as he was starting to feel. He might be enamored with Emmett, but Bysshe wasn't ugly and hadn't had the good grace to get off of him just yet.

"I'm not sure about how long, but I'm willing to bet that he went solitary after I got rid of the rest of his comrades-"

"Whoa, what comrades?"

The Vampire sighed. "The Death Eaters who hired me to kill you off. I got bored of their crazy little schemes one day and didn't feel like explaining myself so…I killed them. All except for Lucius, apparently, which isn't too surprising since I was in a bit of a frenzy, not paying attention to details like that."

"And you just killed god knows how many people because you were too lazy to lie?"

Bysshe shrugged. "I never claimed to be a good person. I'm not a self-righteous violator of animal rights like the Cullens, so you should be prepared to get nasty answers to questions sometimes."

Harry sighed, exasperated. "Okay, sorry I implied you were a bad person. You know I don't have issues with what you choose to do personally. Back to Lucius: is he still alive?"

"Yeah, but I wouldn't expect that to last. He's got some kind of debilitating disease. He looks like he's rotting and smells worse than that. I don't know how he's holding down a job, personally."

"He has a job? I didn't know Malfoy knew how to do anything other than manipulate people and count money."

Bysshe laughed, finally rolling off of Harry and sitting with his back against one of the shelves, glancing at one of the books by his foot that he'd startled Harry into dropping. "From what I saw of his mind, the parts not filled with crazy shit I don't even want to think about again, he's washing dishes, moving boxes, and cleaning toilets."

Harry snickered, covering his mouth to hide the sound.

"That just made my day! I'm going to think about him with a toilet brush in his hand next time I see him. I don't think I'll ever be able to take him seriously again."

"Good. Did you want me to keep an eye on him or just let you know if I catch him sniffing around close by?"

He shrugged. "Do whatever you think is best."

"Your trust is appreciated." And since he was feeling bold, Bysshe ruffled his hair. Harry squirmed and made an irritated noise while smacking his hand away.

"Hey, it's bad enough with Bella doing that; I don't need two people calling me little brother."

"She calls you that?"

"Sometimes."

Bysshe looked at his hands and then glanced at Harry out of the corner of his eye. "You're awfully calm about this."

"You could say that I'm used to people hunting me."

"Well, no one should have to be used to something that weird. Do you need any help with the books? I'm sorry I distracted you."

Harry hummed vaguely, looking at the dust motes floating in the fluorescent light. "I don't care. The other librarians are on break right about now, and last I checked there weren't any other people hanging out here so it's okay for me to rest for a while."

A teasing grin spread across Bysshe's face, teeth glinting. "So you're all alone here with me?"

Harry laughed, sounding more startled than amused. He shoved the Vampire's shoulder and Bysshe obligingly shifted to the side briefly as if the human's 'strength' had been able to move him. "Don't get any perverted ideas."

"What kind of perverted ideas?" Emmett asked, suddenly rounding the corner and giving Bysshe a look that could only be described as hostile.

They instinctively moved a whole two feet away from each other, neither meeting Emmett's eyes. Harry suddenly felt guilty. He didn't know why, though, and that upset him. Guilt was a feeling that he'd lived with in various forms for years ranging from the Dursley's lies about him being the cause of his parent's deaths and the many lives he ended in the War. Feeling guilt and not knowing why, however, was something foreign to him.

It was a very uncomfortable sensation and it scratched at him like a pair of woolen trousers.

"Hey, Emmett. Did you just get here?"

"Yes. Now…what perverted ideas?"

"It was only a joke." Harry mumbled, feeling scolded.

Emmett relaxed and sat on Harry's other side, gently using the pads of his fingers to touch Harry's cheek. "Sorry I sounded so upset. I just…I have been having one of those days."

"Oh yeah? Did you want to tell me about it?" Harry offered hopefully, lifting his eyes to shyly meet those of his boyfriend.

If anything, now was Emmett's chance to at least invite Harry into the more personal details of his own life. "Well, my theoretic paper got a D and the professor wants me to re-write it for a chance at a higher grade, and then I was forced to eat some food at lunch because of this annoying girl sitting with me. She wanted to get my phone number and everything even after I told her that I was with someone."

"What a bint!"

"Uh…I don't know what that means, but it sounds right. And then of course I came in here, hoping to cop a feel off of this cutie I've been seeing, and I catch him flirting with some asshole."

"Hey!" Bysshe objected. "That is but one of my many fine qualities!"

They shared a muffled laugh at everyone's expense, all of them feeling a little awkward but not knowing what to do about it. Harry decided that they would just have to do the usual thing one did when feeling discomfort of any kind and scratching the itch was impossible-

Ignore it.

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Hermione sighed, drumming her fingers on the broad table she'd ordered from a furniture magazine. It was made from thick mahogany and without embellishment, supporting what could have been tons of paperwork.

She couldn't concentrate on a single word. Normally being by herself in a house with work to be done that required deep thinking would be a god-send, but without her Ron there she was feeling on edge. He had a sort of radar that always let him know when she needed some affection and if he'd been here, she would be getting a shoulder rub right now.

Deciding that she was just wasting time, she stood up and went out onto the porch, following it around the house until she was surrounded by the rhododendrons, catching the yellow glint of an albino cat in the bushes taking cover from the rain. She smiled and reached into her bathrobe pocket, nudging pens and oddments aside with her fingertips until she closed them around her cigarettes.

Tapping one out and lighting it, she exhaled smoke into the fine mist that accompanied the rain today, wrapping an arm around herself when a cold wind blew by over her head. The porch and bushes kept her pretty sheltered from the wind, but that didn't make the air any warmer.

Shivering, she continued to smoke her cigarette, thoughts drifting restlessly through her head. She wasn't used to feeling this distracted and not knowing why. Idly, she began to daydream different ways to 'pop the question' to Ron. She even had the ring sitting upstairs, locked, in her night stand drawer.

Frankly, she didn't know why she was hesitating at all. Ron was willing, she was sure, and so was she…so why not?

She groaned, banging her head backwards against the side of the house. She was a Gryffindor, goddammit!

"Hermione?"

She snapped to attention, noticing Neville standing a few feet away, looking at her with a strange expression on his face. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Oh, yeah! I'm fine…sort of. Just feeling a little distracted."

He nodded, sitting without hesitation beside her on the wood of the porch, neither of them desiring to walk an extra ten feet to sit on the cushioned bench. It just seemed like it would take too much of her precariously-small energy stores.

"Do you need any help with the research? I finished the main part of getting my temporary plants set up in the attic and have a few hours to kill."

"Normally I would love your help, but I just can't get my head straight today. Hey, did you eat lunch?"

"Nope. You?"

"Nah. I just didn't get around to it…I was too busy concentrating on concentrating." She giggled briefly before sobering. "Did you want to kill some time and get fed at the same time?"

"What'd you have in mind?"

"Well, I kind of feel like having a stroll around town and there are places to eat there."

"Oh…I haven't got any money in their currency."

"That's alright; it'll be my treat."

He smiled at her. "Then how can I turn that kind of offer down? Let's go!"

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End chapter 39

Yeah, yeah…nothing too exciting happened (except deep psychological trauma), but I had barely any time to work on this. As a slightly random shout-out, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ARIAERIS!

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	40. Chapter 40

A/N: The story has now reached middle age. In celebration of this I reviewed my plot notes on this story and actually fleshed it out! [It used to just be 'Emmett/Harry: Witness protection program. Things escalate.] We now have an _official _plot …and it's a fucking awesome one!

CHAPTER 40

A month passed with such boring lack of activity that their calendar for it was practically blank other than Thanksgiving Day, which had been bypassed since none of them were used to eating a turkey with more side dishes than is necessary in memory of an event that had nothing to do with them. Of course Bella tried to explain it to them until she was blue in the mouth, but by the time she stopped, Hermione was the only one who seemed to grasp the significance before shattering Bella's hope by summing it up in the slightly offensive statement that it was just another excuse to exercise gluttonous behavior without feeling guilty. Thankfully, this slight didn't stop Bella from giving them more leftovers than they knew what to do with, shocking them all when she sheepishly admitted that it was only half of them since the rest was sent to Jacob Black and his family.

But now Christmas was coming towards them with the usual combination of blinding speed and the slowness of a sleepy turtle. Decorations of varying fluorescent colors and cheap man-made materials were now slathered over every surface in sight far more liberally than Harry thought necessary to get the 'festive' message across, and a new problem was now solidly staring him in the face.

What the hell was he supposed to get Emmett for Christmas?

Not even his tried-and-true fallback plan of just buying him some fancy chocolate would work since Emmett wouldn't be able to eat it. He'd considered a new watch, clothing, trinkets, and books, but he wasn't what kind of any of those to get him. He wanted to give his boyfriend something worthwhile, something that would, perhaps, show how well he knew him and loved him.

Except, even after all the months they'd been together, he still didn't know what kind of books Emmett liked or which brands of clothing he desired.

Finally, despair hovering around him like a pack of starving Dementors, he approached the one person who almost always knew what one was supposed to do.

Hermione was chewing on a pencil when he found her sitting on her bed beside a snoring Ron with Crookshanks getting in the way of her notes on the manual of German espionage in the United Kingdom during WWII. She looked up, the eraser slipping partially out of her mouth and smiled.

"Hey, honey!" she stage-whispered, sending a meaningful look at Ron's sleeping body to give him the 'be quiet' message. "What can I do for you?"

"I was just wondering something…"

She raised an eyebrow shrewdly and then patted the mattress beside her. "Come sit with me, then - Crookshanks can afford to move over a little." She shoved her marmalade-colored cat until he growled and shifted his furry body marginally. Harry gingerly sat, keeping an eye on the cat's long claws.

"Now, is this something personal?"

"Yes. I was wondering if you had any ideas about what I should get Emmett for Christmas. I'm kind of stumped right now." He shrugged, embarrassed to admit it.

"Oh." She sounded almost disappointed. "I thought you had a question about sex."

He choked but she continued before he could screech how offended he was by that comment. As if there was something he hadn't researched fully in that field!

"Have you considered a book?"

"Yep. He's more of an outdoorsy type anyway and I have no idea what kind to get him."

"What about clothes?"

"Same problem. And besides, you know how big he is. He might get his stuff personally tailored."

She nodded distractedly, chewing on the pencil again. "What about making him something?"

He took this in, pondering it carefully. "Such as?"

"You could knit him a scarf or something like that."

"That's a great idea…except I can't knit."

"Yes, but _I _can, and if you're very nice to me and buy me some chocolate, I might be persuaded to teach you and maybe even help you pick out the supplies for it." She smiled at him slyly, scowling when she noticed Crookshanks creeping closer and closer to Harry until he was balancing precariously on the edge of the bed. "Back, Shanks! Bad boy!" She swatted his nose.

He sighed. Even if he didn't like the idea (but he did, so no problems there), there was no changing her mind now. She would nag him about it, too. "What kind of chocolate?"

"The really rich dark kind with cherries ground up in it."

He spluttered. "Do you have any idea how much that costs?"

"Pfft, it's not like you've got real money problems, young man. Just ask Bert to sign as your guardian so you can get some cash out of the bank. You need to do it anyway for present shopping." She shoved his arm. "Now get your skinny butt out of here: you've got some candy shopping to do before the shops close."

He grumbled insincerely, leaving the room to find Neville and see if he wanted to come with him. He thought he'd said something about needing a new trowel at lunch.

Heading upstairs, he discovered the older boy with his hand encased in protective gloves that went to half-way up his biceps, industrially planting some new specimens in a new portable tray of dirt.

He coughed delicately.

Neville looked up, caught sight of him, and smiled. "Hi, Harry. What's up? Is it time for dinner already?"

"Not quite. I was just wondering if you needed anything in town, because I'm going."

"Um…" He removed a glove with care and scratched his chin stubble, looking around the room assessingly. "I think I'm pretty good for now, but thank you. Are you actually going to walk in the snow all the way there?"

Lately, ever since the weather worsened, Bert began to crack and finally broke down and bought a car just last week. Unfortunately, he was out in it right that minute 'on important business stuff', which left Harry with foot travel.

"Fuck! I forgot about that…" he muttered, gnawing on a knuckle until Neville came around his plants and gently tugged his hand away from his mouth, smirking when Harry made a face at him.

"If you're going to walk, then I'd better come with you. You could get lost in all that snow."

"I can take care of myself-" Harry started to protest in defense of his manly pride, getting cut off by Neville suddenly pulling him into a headlock.

"Oh, there's no question of that." Neville squeezed Harry's neck playfully, reminding the world's savior that Herbology took a lot of strength and determination to succeed in. He resolved to try and not forget that again in the future. "So are you going to give in and 'let me' come with you?"

He sighed louder than he had too, laughing when Neville tickled his side. "Okay, okay! Fine, you can come. Bastard…"

Neville just laughed at him, taking off his other glove, leaving a swipe of dirt on Harry's cheek, and headed downstairs after giving a final stroke to the waxy leaves of his newest specimens. "I'll be back." He murmured to them, ignoring Harry's raised eyebrows.

"You still talk to your plants?"

"Well, studies done on the subject have proven that plants in a good environment that feel loved by their caretakers flourish, while bad environments make them wilt. I want my plants to be happy and to grow as much as they can, so I talk to them and try to show them as well as I can how much I appreciate them."

"I see."

They descended the stairs in silence, nodding to Hermione as they passed by her room, noting that Luna and It were now also crammed on the bed. Crookshanks was cowering on top of Ron's back. The amazing thing was that Ron was still soundly sleeping.

Neville coughed, looking self-conscious after pulling on his coat. "By the way, what do you want for Christmas?"

"Oh…um…" He frowned. What did he want? "I suppose I could use some new sneakers."

"Alright. Sneakers it is."

00000000

Since the worst possible situation is often the one that occurs when it could possibly have a chance to happen, Harry and Neville soon found themselves lost on the way back. They'd bought Hermione's chocolate without incident, using up all of Harry's current spending money (which he would have to rectify by pleading with Bert later), and Neville picked out some caramels for himself that proved to be far below the sort sold by Honeydukes.

"So…where do you think we are?" Neville asked, slowly pivoting in a circle, the weak winter sunlight looking sicklier than usual as it gleamed off of the bared branches of the trees bordering the road they were hesitantly walking along.

"I dunno. Where do _you _think we are?"

They shared a shrug, and Harry began to get depressed after another freezing half an hour passed. "We'll be frozen solid at this rate!"

Just as Neville was also giving up hope (he was more optimistic than Harry, having been exposed to less Unpleasant Situations), a truck came down slowly down the road behind them and coasted to a stop beside them.

Jacob Black leaned out of it, giving them strange looks. "Are you guys insane? Who takes a walk in weather like this?"

"We're lost!"

He looked taken aback. "Oh…well, do you guys want a ride? If you know the address, I might be able to drop you off. At the very least you can warm up so you don't turn into popsicles."

Harry looked at Neville, who shrugged. "I don't know the guy, but it's that or freeze."

They climbed inside, settling against the seats and smiling nervously at the American Indian boy. He was competing with Neville in height, who, although shorter than Ron by a little bit, was thicker-built than both of them and therefore more intimidating.

"I haven't seen you in forever!" He exclaimed, once Harry was safely strapped in. he shifted the truck into gear. "I was just visiting Bella and she said something about you, which got me thinking about how long it's been since I've hung out with you. We should do something sometime, maybe with Bella if it doesn't involve too much moving around where she might hurt herself."

"Yeah…"

"Okay, where am I taking you?"

"Do you know the old house on the outskirts of the town that nobody bought for a long time because it was a total dump and nobody bothered to fix it up?"

Jacob paused for a second, tongue in the corner of his cheek before nodding hesitantly. "The one on the other side of the old tracks with the big porch that looks like it's about to fall to bits?"

"That's the one."

"Shit, man, you live in that old garbage heap?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "My uncle and I fixed it up, so it's not so bad now. It was pretty cold at first though, before we figured out that there wasn't any insulation."

Jacob laughed and then looked over at Neville. "Who's your friend, Harry?"

"It's nice to meet you: I'm Neville Longbottom."

Jacob nodded, glancing away from the road to smile at him. "Cool. My name's Jacob. 'M a friend of Bella's."

They all looked straight ahead, none of them sure if they should be the one to start the conversation again or if it was okay to be quiet now. The truck moved steadily through the snow drifts building in the streets, and Harry started recognizing landmarks again.

"Thank you so much!"

"Hey, no problem. It's Christmas, you know?" he smiled at them again and Neville blinked.

He wasn't aware of a Werewolf population in the area, but if Harry was dating a Vampire and encountered a Poltergeist recently, then it stood to reason that the area might have once had some magical exposure. He decided not to mention it anyway out of politeness, even though he burned with questions.

Not to mention that this was making him miss his favorite ex-professor Remus Lupin. He sighed, breath fogging the window.

They arrived at the house, the truck lurching worrisomely as it went over the tracks, but they made it safely on the other side. Jacob smiled again, and before he could say anything, Harry asked,

"Won't you come in and meet the rest? We're having dinner in a bit."

"Oh, uh, I…well, I guess they wouldn't miss me on the Rez." Jacob floundered, not quite used to being invited so spontaneously. "Are you sure? I eat a lot."

Harry grinned. "I bet you don't eat as much as Ron. Come on, Jacob, just get inside before I drag you!"

"I'd like to see you try, scarecrow."

"Ooh, is that a challenge?"

When they finally made it to the door, Jacob was sincerely regretting challenging Harry's reflexes (he was a Werewolf! How the hell did a skinny human manage to drag him all the way up a porch stairway?!) And nursing a frozen neck from where snow had been stuffed on top of a bruised pride.

Luna opened the door wearing a sarong and Scandinavian sweater over it, a piece of limp noodle hanging from her hair.

"Oh, hello. If I'd know we were having a Werewolf over, I would have tripled the recipe instead of just doubling it…" she mumbled vaguely, not noticing Harry's frantic negative hand gestures.

He smacked his forehead at the same time Jacob's jaw dropped.

0000000

End chapter 40

Gosh, all this talk of Christmas makes me want hot chocolate…

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	41. Chapter 41

A/N: I am leaving on the 22nd and won't be back until about the 26th… since I will be away from the internet, this obviously means that updates will halt in the mean-time. Sorry!

CHAPTER 41

"What werewolf?" Jacob nervously asked, recovering from his shock and shuffling from one foot to the next as they stood in the entrance hallway. He would probably be sweating if it wasn't so freezing out there.

"Oh, I'm sorry. How rude of me to say that out loud; I didn't realize it was a secret." Luna apologized, seemingly without rhyme or reason. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Uh…" He floundered, not knowing what to do. How could this girl know what a Werewolf was, and why was Harry being so calm about this? His mind seized on the only possible explanation. "You already knew about this?"

Harry shrugged. "What was I supposed to say? 'Oh, hi, I know you're a werewolf'? I didn't think it was any of my business to bring it up, okay?"

Jacob opened his mouth to say something, realized he had nothing, and shut it with a 'click'.

"You still haven't told me if you wanted something to drink." Luna patiently pointed out, eyes gazing at the facet of light coming from the light fixture Bert installed earlier that afternoon in the entrance hall. The light was faintly tinted green.

"Um, some water would be nice."

"Are you sure? We have tea, coffee, cider, lager, some kind of weird health juice Hermione is trying to make me drink, and milk…"

"Water is fine." Jacob repeated, running a hand through his hair to get the damp strands coming out of his ponytail to stop sticking to his face. "Do you guys want me to take off my shoes?"

"You probably should so your socks dry faster. We don't want you getting frostbite." Harry pointed out, toeing off his boots and trying to massage life back into his foot. After a moment or two of swaying dangerously, balanced on one foot, Neville reached over and helped him re-circulate the blood in it.

"Am I one of your plants now, Nev, to be tended like a child?"

Neville smiled up at him, setting Harry's foot down. "Maybe. Come on, let's go to the kitchen and sit by the oven. It's warmest there."

Jacob followed them, sitting next to Harry on the sofa stuffed randomly in a blank spot between the cupboards stacked on top of one another against the wall. Most of them appeared to contain filed paperwork and stacks of books rather than crockery or preserved food like a normal kitchen.

"So, do you guys read a lot?" He asked mildly while gesturing to the books, accepting the glass of water the blonde girl with really weird clothes handed him.

Harry shrugged. "It's so soggy around here that reading is one of the things we started doing more of so we don't get too bored while getting cooped up inside."

He nodded. "Cool."

The stairs thumped softly in a series of noises that preceded Hermione's entrance into the kitchen. She made a bee-line for Jacob after scanning the room for the owner of the truck now taking up Bella's usual parking spot.

"Hey, there! I'm Hermione Granger."

"Jacob Black." He smiled, a little overwhelmed by her abrupt and straightforward introduction.

"I'm assuming that you fished those two-" she jerked her head towards Neville and Harry, who were suddenly looking a lot more sheepish, "out of the hands of a horrible death by freezing. Thank you."

"No problem. I'm sure they would have been missed-"

"By saving Harry, you saved my chocolate." She swept away to stand in front of Harry, hand held out expectantly. Jacob stifled a laugh when Harry grumbled something incomprehensible under his breath and dug into his jacket for where he'd stuffed the nasty crinkly bag they came in.

"There. Are you happy now?"

"Oh yes." She patted his head and wedged herself between him and Neville, who didn't seem to mind too much and patted her arm. She handed him a square of chocolate. "Now, we need to discuss what color of scary you're making and whether or not you think tassels would be appropriate."

"Uh…are the tassels _that _important?"

"No, but I thought I ought to ask you since you're the one dating him and know more about what kind of stuff he might like than I do."

"Yeah, but the margin isn't too broad."

Jacob seemed to get what they were talking about, mind moving away from the bewildering concept that they (or at least some of them) knew he was a Werewolf and weren't reacting with screaming or even trying to stab him with silver daggers like pop culture movies had raised him to expect. Most people, when faced with something so bizarre, immediately deny the possibility even when it is staring them in the face. Their easy acceptance of humans being able to melt their body shape into something else prophesied either a very special kind of insanity…or…

He really didn't think there was any other option.

Not knowing what else to do, he sipped his water and let the delicious smells of cooking food lull him into a kind of happy doze.

His doze was broken by a soft rustle of fabric very close by and the awareness of someone petite and smelling of flowers sitting on the floor next to his armrest. He blearily opened one eye, the blonde girl from before slowly coming into focus.

She smiled, offering him a forkful of something with noodles and a piece of chicken speared on the end.

"I need a second opinion." She said simply. "And Werewolves are supposed to have strong sensory glands."

"Uh…"

She shoved it into his open mouth, the spokes of the fork poking at his front teeth painfully. The pain was overruled by the taste of the food, though, which seemed to pool on his taste buds like a lazy beam of sunlight. He found himself smiling.

"It's really good."

"You're sure it doesn't need any salt?" There was a little frown line between her eyebrows. It was kind of cute, actually.

A small voice in the back of his head screamed with outrage, apparently upset that he was considering something other than Bella attractive. Ignoring it, he replied, "Um, maybe just a tiny bit, but don't overdo it because it tastes perfect to me."

She smiled, looking pleased with herself. "Thanks!"

"So…what's your name?" He asked before she could walk away.

"I'm Luna. It's nice to meet another werewolf. It's been a what feels like a long time since I've had the pleasure." And with that, she floated back over to the stovetop and began carefully adding salt to whatever was in the big pot that was half her size.

He decided that if he wanted answers, he was just going to have to ask the questions. Leaving the comfortable sofa was unpleasant, but he bore it bravely. Coming over to stand beside Luna, he opened his mouth to ask her how she'd known but was cut off by a loaf of bread and a knife suddenly shoved into his hands.

"Could you slice that for me, please?" She asked, eyes seeming to look through him rather than at him.

"Uh, sure. Do you have a cutting board or is doing it just on the counter here fine?"

"Oh, whatever works best for you." Luna replied vaguely, smiling faintly. "Now I believe you had something to ask me before you came over, yes?"

He started to slice to give himself time to re-phrase his question several times in his head, trying to make it sound more polite, but gave up. "How did you know?"

"Know what?"

"About me being a…a you-know-what."

She shrugged a shoulder, making her sweater shift off a shoulder. She adjusted it and went back to stirring. "Well, it's kind of obvious if you know the signs. Oh, and you smell like a Werewolf too, so that kind of cinched it for me. I didn't know it was a secret and I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."

His mind tried to wrap itself around this. "Have…have you met other shape-shifters, then? Is that how you know how to tell?"

"I had an old professor who was a Werewolf once." She chewed her lip. "He's dead now, but he was most of the most compassionate and gentle people I ever had the pleasure of knowing. He wasn't violent or dangerous at all, no matter what the Ministry wanted us to believe. We all miss him a lot."

"Oh."

"Yeah." She glanced to the side to see that he had finished slicing and raised her voice so that it would carry throughout the house and wake Ron, "Dinner's ready!"

"What do you want me to do with the bread?" He asked, gesturing to the disorganized mass of slices. "Do you have a basket or something?"

"Let me get you a bowl."

Seated at a long table (he could have sworn it was smaller when he first saw it, but his special skills were known to be wrong from time to time) between Luna and a middle-aged man who'd introduced himself as the owner of the house, he began to eat.

Two hours later, while following the bewildering debate going on about Werewolf rights (he wasn't aware they had any), he noticed something strange.

There, in the far corner of the room, was a presence. He couldn't smell it or taste it in the air like he normally could when he wanted to identify something, but there were two blood-red pinpoints around the level of eyes on a tall person and a hint of gleam around where a belt buckle might be.

He swallowed and wondered if he should say something, but then they served dessert and he decided that it wasn't that important. He was probably just seeing things.

A long and mildly upsetting evening that was nevertheless overall quite pleasant later, Jacob unglued himself from the couch to stretch and say goodbye to everyone. He might have just met most of them, but all of them were likable in a magnetic kind of way: the way that forced itself onto you whether you wanted to like it or not.

"Come by again, will you?" Harry asked after unexpectedly hugging him. "We could do with some more guys around here."

He blinked, noting how out-numbered Luna and Hermione already were. "I don't think you need the help-"

"Yes, we do. They seem to over-rule us somehow." Ron butted in, completely serious.

Jacob looked at them again and suddenly he found himself believing Ron. "I…sure. I'd love to come over and hang out again."

And maybe find out more about how, exactly, they had figured out how to tell a werewolf from a normal human being. He wondered if he should tell his tribe about this or keep it to himself until he'd had time to find out more.

00000000

Harry stabbed himself in the wrist with his knitting needle somehow and his lower lip wobbled. Hermione just shook her head before cuddling his head onto her shoulder and began to stroke his hair. He'd recently cut it and it now stood up as badly as it had while they'd been students at Hogwarts. She was still a little upset about that, having no idea why he would even consider cutting off his lovely hair.

"Come on, honey, it'll get better. I know this is a new skill for you, so you shouldn't expect it to just happen overnight."

"But I need it to happen overnight! Christmas is next week!" He wailed, looking more pathetic than he had since first year when faced with his first Potion's essay. "And I've bungled three attempts already."

She just patted him on the arm and helped him untangle his latest attempt. "Calm down. You are more than half-way done with this one if you get rid of this messed up bit. You can still finish it."

"Oh wow, really?" He gave the scarf another look-over, the deep blue not looking nearly as bad now as he had thought it would. "That makes me feel a hell of a lot better. Thanks!"

"What are friends for?"

0000000

End chapter 41

Will anyone miss me? [sobs] (kidding!)


	42. Chapter 42

A/N: I am home at last, but came down with a horrible fever and throat swelling, so the updating process was delayed since I was incapacitated. [also, my uncle is moving and I am helping him with that, my sister's bridal shower is occurring, and countless other daily things are popping up so expect erratic behavior that is entirely unfaulted to myself]

CHAPTER 42

Christmas morning dawned just as coldly as any other morning, the only thing making it separate from the one before it being the fact that Harry wasn't curled up in his warm bed like he very much wanted to be.

There was tape sticking to his paper cuts and he winced every time he moved his left thumb thanks to a particularly nasty one just on the joint. The chief difficulty that had faced him, despite it all, was how to make stiff wrapping paper suitably cover a soft package. The thought of perhaps placing it in a box and then wrapping that had occurred to him but been discarded in the absence of unused boxes lying around.

Finally he stuck a final piece of tape to the last jutting angle of the present and sat back on his ankles to survey his work. Admittedly, it wasn't the most attractive present he'd ever wrapped, but he had put the most effort into it and felt very pleased with himself.

He hoped Emmett would like it.

His eyes narrowed. Scratch that, Emmett had _better _fucking like it if he valued his safety! He'd learned to knit for god's sake-

His budding internal monologue was interrupted by Hermione padding softly into the living room, her socks whispering across the wood floor before the carpet muffled it. The Christmas tree lights by which he had been working made multi-colored streaks of light trace through her hair, sloppily pulled back with one of Ron's rubber bands.

"Happy Christmas, Harry."

"The same to you." He smiled, trying to cover his shoddily wrapped present before she could open her mouth and offer to fix it with magic. For some reason he didn't want to use magic on something he had worked so hard on with his bare hands…it felt like he was cheating the gift of its sincerity.

She sank first to her knees and then balanced her weight so she could tuck her legs under herself, gazing at the Christmas lights with him. Neither of them spoke or made any move to open their presents, waiting for everyone else to make their way sleepily down the stairs.

When Neville appeared a few minutes later, still rubbing his eyes with his sleep pants slipping down a bit on one side, Hermione got out of her crouch and went to the kitchen to start breakfast, patting Neville's arm on the way. He mumbled vaguely at her, smiling fuzzily.

When the smell of pancakes started to drift out to him, Harry placed his gift under the tree and joined his friends in the kitchen to help them cook. Well, to help Hermione cook since Neville was passed out at the table, snoring faintly.

Setting to work preparing the tea and coffee, he nodded to Luna when the sound of Bert's slippers (they had an ongoing war of who they really belonged to going on) alerted him of her waking presence. She moved him carefully to the side so she could pour herself some coffee, and only wished him a happy Christmas after she drained half of it.

"So, breakfast first and then presents?" she confirmed, looking around at those conscious.

There was a collective nod, and Bert chose that moment to join them. Mid-stretch, he caught sight of 'his' slippers gracing Luna's feet and growled. He tensed up and made a grab for them, receiving an entirely unexpected uppercut from Luna's fist for his trouble.

She didn't even spill her coffee. Everyone quickly turned away from the spectacle before she could comment on their interest.

Breakfast was almost over when Emmett arrived, the faintly glittering skin around his eyes pink-tinged with pleasure as he sat beside Harry on the bench at the table, his body already warming from the sub-zero temperature it had absorbed while exposed to the cold.

Clutched in one hand half stuffed in his pocket was a long, thin package.

"Presents!" Ron suddenly exclaimed once he was finished eating, finally awake. Not even Christmas could turn him into a morning person. Murmuring excitedly and casting various cleansing spells to make the dishes wash themselves while they were otherwise occupied, they moved to the living room.

Bert sat on one end of a sofa, Luna on the other with It resting it's fluffy head on her feet. The lamps they lit to dispel the winter gloom allowed a gleam deep in the fur to let them all know where the creature's teeth were and just how sharp they were. Bert very understandably had both feet tucked tightly under him.

Hermione and Ron sat close to one another on another couch, holding hands, with Neville on the other side. Various other of their independent feline pets scattered themselves lazily across the room, attracted to the ribbons on the presents.

Harry and Emmett were seated closest to the tree and unofficially given the task of passing the gifts out. Most of them were handy or attractive odds and ends that only close friends know the real usefulness of, and of course a fair amount of books acquired owners.

When all of the other presents were administered, Harry inclined his head towards the lumpy package Emmett was turning over and over in his hands while trying to find a tag. "That one's for you, my love."

A truly soppy look formed on Emmett's face. "Whoa, really?"

"Oh shut up." Harry groused. "It's not _that _big of a deal. I just thought…well, I thought that I ought to give you something since you're my boyfriend and all."

Emmett pulled him into a very tight hug before he could continue to ruin the moment, cramping Harry's face into the crook of his armpit. Harry's complaints were muffled by his sweater and Emmett's gushing. "I'm so surprised! Thank you so much, babes!"

Harry managed to get his face out long enough to point out that Emmett hadn't even opened it yet. He stubbornly ignored the snickering coming from his so-called friends. Surely true friends would think to rescue him from his predicament?

"Oh, sorry about that." He began peeling away the tape meticulously, a gleeful smile on his lips. When he removed the layer of stiff paper, he gaped openly before gently lifting the soft wool out of its packaging. "Oh my god, did you make this?"

It was a little bit crooked at the end, but an otherwise attractive blue scarf. Harry shrugged and then nodded a little hesitantly. "Hermione helped me."

"Nobody's ever made me something before." Emmett murmured, wrapping it around his neck. "I love it!"

"I'm glad." Harry muttered, looking at his hands. He hadn't been expecting it to be this big of a deal to Emmett because of his age. If he had been with Rosalie for so many years, who seemed the type to try anything once just for the hell of it, then why had this not happened to Emmett before? He couldn't comprehend why hand-made gifts hadn't occurred at some point.

"Before I forget, I got something for you too."

He perked up, and Hermione made a choked sound. He looked at her and saw that she was half-poised to get out of Ron's embrace, evidently in order to either announce something or make a spectacle of herself in the name of the holidays. He winced to show her that it wasn't his fault and got an eye-roll for his troubles.

Emmett finally removed whatever it was from his pocket and handed it proudly to Harry. "I might not have made it for you, but I spent eight hours with three of the most frightening women on the planet going from store to store until we found something we thought you might like."

"I'm a little frightened now if they helped pick it out." Harry teased, having a fair idea of the sort of things Esme and her 'daughters' would think appropriate presents for their brother's boyfriend.

He removed the ribbon with care and peeled open the box, eyes widening when he saw the watch inside, unfastened and stretched out to show the fine snakeskin that made up the band.

"Holy…Emmett, its great!" he impulsively hugged his boyfriend's neck, smiling ear-to-ear. He only let go to tentatively remove it from its ties and put it on his wrist. The stones that he was going to guess were diamonds set around the face of the watch itself glowed. There were emeralds on the hands, and Emmett pointed them out.

"We picked this one instead of the red one with rubies because they match your eyes."

"You really put a lot of thought into this."

Emmett's eyes turned pink and he moved close enough to touch Harry's shoulder delicately with his broad chin. "I wanted it to be special since it's the first thing I've really given you."

Hermione cleared her throat, rising from the couch and leaving her discarded wrapping paper and blankets behind like a nest. She dramatically reached into her dressing gown, looking straight at Ron, who looked as puzzled as everyone else.

"Ron, we've loved each other for years, both in and out of denial, and I have come to realize that I never want to live without you."

His mouth dropped open, and Harry started to get a feel for where she was going with this. She removed her hand slowly from her pocket, a small jewelry box made from dark gray velvet curled inside her fingers.

She dropped to one knee, smiling up at Ron. "Will you marry me?"

He was silent, too busy gaping at her. Her eyes began to cloud and he snapped out of it, ignoring the box and lunging for her, wrapping both arms around her shoulders and burying his face in her hair, red mixed with the brown of hers.

"Of course I'll marry you, you crazy girl!" He laughed a little wildly. "I can't imagine living without you either."

"As happy as I am to hear that, don't you want to see your new ring?"

He was still smiling like an idiot when he opened the box, taking out the thin gold band with blue stones set straight into the band so they wouldn't snag on his clothes. "It's great."

"Good, because it was my granddad's and I had it resized and everything so it would fit those big fingers of yours."

Everyone laughed, as much to relieve the emotional pressure as anything else. Luna offered to make hot chocolate, which was appreciated very much by everyone else.

"Well, I'm officially convinced that being single sucks." Neville joked, getting punched in the arm by Ron.

"Enjoy your freedom, mate. Once you've got a lady, they tend to keep you on a tight leash."

Hermione punched him in the stomach for that, making him cough. "Just because we're getting married doesn't mean you can get away with insulting women, you bastard."

He held his hands up in the 'peace' gesture that transcended all languages. "No complaints or insults from me, ma'am. I'm quite happy to be your loyal slave for the rest of my no-doubt short and painful life."

She giggled, curling up beside him again and re-arranging their blankets, discovering that Harry had stolen one while she was distracted. She gave him a Look, which he stuck his tongue out at. "Hey, my boyfriend can't generate his own body heat and he's stealing all of mine. I _need _this blanket."

Emmett nodded empathically. "I don't wanna freeze him to death, you know."

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New Year's was marked with several drunken accidents that resulted in one couch being consumed with magical fire generated by an unwanted bit of accidental magic, the local gossips labeling the entire group of Englanders as alcoholics due to the amount purchased at the local stores, and It gnawing on Bert's arm until it broke several of the bones.

Fortunately, Luna just so happened to have some handy Skelo-Grow inside one of her trunks. Apparently broken bones had occurred so often since she owned It (or maybe since It had owned her) that she now carried around a permanent stock just in case.

Oh, and of course Bysshe decided to show up just as the New Year was about to start in order to initiate a mock-duel with Emmett over who would get to kiss Harry.

For some reason it was very obvious that Bysshe let Emmett win, which would normally have raised disconcerting questions about just what kind of illegal magics Bysshe might have been involved in over the years but they were all too drunk to care.

The morning after revealed Luna sprawled across the floor of the living room with Bert beside her, for which they were teased mercilessly.

Overall, once the holidays ended and Harry grudgingly went back to school (because the stupid _sodding _Witness Protection Program thought it was proper), it was with the conviction that while the holidays were lovely in their own way, the safety of sober activities was far preferable.

His new watch counted down the minutes until school would be let out and he let himself smile. It was a good start to a new year, a year completely untouched with the presence of the Dark Lord and all that he stood for.

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End chapter 42

YES! I have been working on this for three days in bits and pieces and am very happy to have finished it. I hope you all like it and can be forgiving of my suddenly VERY BUSY schedule (Which was entirely planned by other people who were under the false impression that I had nothing better to do. Typical.)


	43. Chapter 43

CHAPTER 43

"You know, you haven't done anything really radical with Emmett lately." Hermione teased at breakfast one Sunday morning, laughing when Harry made as if to slap her.

"Oh, and learning to knit despite risk to my personal safety in order to make him a scarf doesn't count, I suppose?" He accusingly raised his arm and pulled back his sleeve to show the pink scar from where he recently gauged himself in a half-hearted effort to make a matching sweater. Despite the pain and frustration it caused, there was something very nice about knitting. He'd always been good with his hands and it was satisfying to put that skill to use…even if he did make mistakes.

"Not at all." She nonchalantly took a sip of coffee, flicking to another page of the Muggle newspaper.

He huffed and went back to his toast, discovering a spot of mold in the crust just before he was going to put his teeth into it. "Hey! When was the last time we bought fresh bread?"

She shrugged, not looking up from the paper. "Bella's coming over with Jacob around noon today for lunch and then we're going shopping. I can pick up some groceries on the way back."

"Whoa, can't I come?"

"Yeah!" Ron protested, just coming into the room in time to hear her plans. "I didn't even know my lovely wife-to-be was leaving me here all alone."

Her expression was sorely unimpressed when she finally looked up from the latest gang article. "Only if by 'alone', you mean with four other Humans and possibly Harry's Vampire friends, then yes. However, you can feel free to come along if you really don't want to be left behind."

Ron nodded vigorously, and Harry stuck out his lower lip reproachfully. "What about me? I've had moldy toast- I think that calls for some pity at the very least."

"Oh good god, you two are such babies!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air and almost knocking her coffee off of the table. "_Fine. _You and anyone else who can fit into Bella's truck somehow and won't complain about it are welcome to come."

Harry blinked. "We can take a second car, you know."

"Oh."

"Yeah; I thought you would have already planned for us to protest and haul ourselves all around shops just because we need something new to complain about."

"Who's complaining?" Neville entered the kitchen, wiping his slightly dirt-stained hands on his work shirt before pulling it over his head and dumping it in the hamper. He wandered shirt-less over to the cupboards to get a mug for tea.

"The boys want to come with me and Bella to go shopping. Did you want to come or do you need to work?"

"I thought the point of weekends was that it forced you to take a break." Neville poured hot water over his tea bag and raised an eyebrow when he found all of them watching him. "Is there something on my face?"

"Nope; I just noticed that you have…muscles now." Ron squeaked out, looking more jealous than Hermione thought he needed to since he wasn't exactly a feather light himself.

"So?"

Ron shrugged awkwardly and Hermione covered her eyes with her hand. Harry just grinned into his coffee, shoving his toast away from him silently with one finger. "I guess I just never noticed that before. I thought you were fat, not built."

Neville blinked. "Oh…kay. Thanks Ron."

"So! When are you leaving?" Harry more announced than asked, his voice ringing slightly in the kitchen after he'd spoken. When the sound died away, Hermione folded her paper completely and stood up.

Taking her mug to the sink, she rinsed it out, re-adjusted her robe, and answered, "In about an hour, as soon as I take a shower and Bella gets here. And no, what you're wearing isn't decent, Ron."

He opened his mouth to protest but she was faster.

"There's a hole in the crotch of those particular sweat pants, honey."

"What?! Why didn't you say something before?"

00000000

Jacob looked more than a little happy to be spending time with Bella, even though they were in a group setting, and Harry just shook his head when Hermione gleefully whispered to him about it.

"If you look behind us, you'll see that her psycho ex is stalking us."

Her eyes went wide and she looked incredulous until she got a chance to check. Neville got in the way and looked puzzled to find her giving him such a funny look until he realized that it was behind him and moved nicely to the side.

She caught a glimpse of who she was assuming was Edward just before he ducked behind a dumpster. "Well, fuck."

"I know. He has some serious possession issues that I would really rather not have to know about."

"What a bastard. Doesn't he know that moving on is the only mature way to recover from jilted love affairs? Tantrums, stalking, physically attacking, and begging are all so childish. Isn't he a Vampire?"

Harry nodded.

"See, at his age, he has no excuse."

"I knew there had to be a reason for her supposedly being his first girlfriend." Harry blandly pointed out, poking through his paper bag to make sure that it wasn't tearing. They'd passed by a second-hand store that had a smattering of just about everything, some of the merchandise being books that interested him (you could never have too much of Keats poetry or pass up a copy of Plutarch's Lives, after all).

"She was his first?" Hermione asked, looking shocked. "Don't get me wrong, I think he's an ass and I haven't even met him, but he's not bad looking and he's just the kind of guy to use that to his advantage."

"I don't want to know what you guys are talking about." Ron asserted without preamble, hanging back so he was with Neville, who was murmuring pleasantly to a potted Geranium he'd purchased. God only knows why someone would be selling something like that at the end of January, but strange plant-related incidences seemed to be drawn to Neville like bees to honey.

"I don't understand it either." Harry shrugged, as if to say 'don't ask me'.

Bella turned away from where she was trying to make sense of what Luna was talking about (and why the word 'werewolf' kept popping up) to peer suspiciously over her shoulder at Hermione and Harry. They had their heads bent together and were speaking in low tones, which she instinctively knew was a bad sign.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing."

Her eyes narrowed. "Okay, now I _know _you guys are up to something, and I plan to find out what it is…" she trailed off, seemingly catching sight of Edward far behind them. Her eyes flickered back to the suddenly guilty-looking Brits. "How long have you guys known he was behind us?"

Harry bit the inside of his cheek and then confessed. "He was tailing us ever since we left Forks. Hermione didn't know until I pointed him out. If it makes you guys feel any better, my man and his sister Alice are following Edward presumably to make sure he doesn't do something stupid."

The others had caught up to them and they all turned completely around as one just in time to catch the hilarious image of Edward trying to duck under cover, Emmett and a skinny girl with spiky hair trying to do the same fifty feet behind him. When they looked further, they saw a passel of teenaged girls no doubt attracted to the Vampires, some boys behind them, and finally the rest of the Cullen Coven with Bysshe bringing up the rear.

It was an entire chain of stalkers.

"Oh my god this is so scary!" Luna suddenly squeaked, shifting through them until she was safely behind Neville.

"Um, why did you pick me as your human shield?" He asked, sounding curious instead of upset. "My hands are incapacitated with this plant which puts me at a disadvantage to protecting you."

"I don't care. You're bigger."

"Ah."

Their discussion was punctuated by Bella shoving her way through them and stalking with a very determined stride down the sidewalk until she reached the alley Edward was hiding in. everyone closed in on them like a wave, sick fascination urging them to witness the entirety of the show-down.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Bella screeched as soon as she was close enough, kicking a rock out of her path viciously. "I _told _you to leave me the _fuck _alone!"

Jacob made a choking sound that sounded very much like muffled laughter, hiding behind Neville with Luna when Bella's head snapped around to glare at him.

Edward was practically cowering before he seemed to collect the tatters of his manly pride. "Hey, I was just worried about you. It's not like I'm hurting you-"

"Knowing that you still have your testicles hurts me!" Bella practically screamed, effectively driving off the small group of teenaged boys who were following the girls. Their memories of similar threats from other females had ruined the allure for the time being. Bella continued without them.

"I mean, who do you think you are, following me around like I'm a child who can't do anything on her own?"

"Compared to me, you are a child, Bella." Edward pointed out, looking smug. "You used to like the way I would watch you."

"Yeah, because I thought you did it out of love. I know better now, and I won't think the same of your little games next time. Are you going to leave me alone now?"

He drew himself up to his full height, and said, "No. I won't stop being involved in your life until you realize that we're in love."

She groaned. "Okay, remember way back when I threatened to sick my friend Harry on you?"

"We've met."

A nasty smile spread across her face. "Oh good. Then, Harry, come over here and say hello again."

Harry stepped forward, not quite sure why he was a worthy force to use in the threatening of delusional ex-boyfriends. "Edward. You look the same."

"I'm immortal."

"Bullshit."

"Uh-"

"Leave Bella alone or I'll show just how mortal a Vampire can be." He crossed his arms, sensing Jacob and Hermione flanking him. Ron stood beside Hermione slurping on a frothy drink they'd gotten at a coffee shop that didn't have a single bean of coffee in it.

"I see no reason to do what you want you say." Edward said, crossing his arms as well and trying to make their height difference more obvious. It just made him look ridiculous.

"That's it. I'm reporting you to the Volturi."

He spluttered, along with everyone else in the Cullen family. Well, Rosalie laughed outright and Emmett was too busy admiring the way the winter gloom was making Harry look almost luminous, but everyone else was pretty shocked.

"Why?!"

"Because harassing people I care about has consequences, Bella will kill me if I don't do something about you, and I personally would love to punt you off a cliff into the lake of burning fire, fire that I'm sure even your poncy Vampire powers couldn't protect you from."

Edward's mouth just hung open. "This is outrageous!"

"No, following Bella when we all told you that it was a bad idea is outrageous." Carlisle said cooling, having recovered his dignity. "I am sorry that it had to be you to make my son see sense, Harry, but we appreciate it all the same." He smiled.

Harry smiled nervously back. "No problem. Sorry I had to be so nasty about it, and I'm willing to give him another chance to stop being such a…uh, idiot."

Esme stopped looking so threatening and smiled at him.

"What about it, Edward? Are you going to stop this foolishness?"

"No." Edward snapped. "Bella is mine and I don't care what any of you have to say about it. I know I must look crazy right now, but I know what we felt for each other and it can't be possible for her to just be on her own like this now."

He received blank stares and then Harry sighed. "This means I need to bribe Bysshe with his weight in cigarettes to make him tell me how to contact them."

Bysshe appeared by his side, tucking his hair to one side so he could innocently shove some snow down the back of his neck. "No more than two packs necessary. This is a cause that already has my support in spirit. I would be perfectly happy to assist you in putting this man away." He gestured grandly at Edward, who growled.

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End chapter 43

The way I see Neville as shaped is the actor who plays him in the films. If you look at the group photos, he's a big guy, but not as big as Emmett.


	44. Chapter 44

A/N: So sorry for the delay, but we had to paint the house and now a family friend is coming to stay with us for a week and I will probably be away from the computer completely except for five-second intervals here and there. Sorry, but Real Life has reared it's head and rather firmly told me to participate or die. On a random note, I started reading 'The Nanny Diaries' by McLaughlin and Kraus. I recommend it to anyone else out there who also works with kids- it helps bring out the humor that can be kind of hard to see sometimes. [Don't get me wrong: I love kids. I wouldn't work with them if I didn't.]

CHAPTER 44

San Francisco, despite being one of the country's largest cities, contained no trace of Potter. Lucius was getting irritated from the heat, which made his gray skin peel and swell up slightly. Apparently the virus he was carrying was not partial to heat, and the rate at which he got winded these days was appalling.

He would have been ashamed if there was anyone worth impressing there to watch him. As it was, he knew he was far superior to everyone else in the entire miserable community collectively and held his head high.

Although working at a fruit stand by day and at a 'gas' station at night until he could afford more travel fare was hardly glamorous, he would soldier on. He had to: there was no one else left to do it.

One of his fingernails was missing due to a careless moment with the razors he had started collecting, fishing them out of people's trash and buying them very cheaply when he could spare a few dollars. He kept them in a padded bag tied under his shirt, and gently fingered the rigid silhouettes they formed when he thought about Potter. Last week he had been unpleasantly surprised by the discovery that his illness was not unlike an acid slowly burning through everything he had…including his magic.

The little that remained of his once impressive store of power was hardly enough to stir a leaf in on a windy day. So the razors were his newest plan, and he practiced throwing them in the long intervals at night while working the night shift at the gas station.

He was getting quite good. The newspaper clipping containing a long-outdated photo of Potter's face was now little more than a series of taped-together strips of parchment.

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Spring moved past at its usual breakneck pace, the days blurring into each other without much distinction other than the steady cropping up of greenery and the return to a brighter color palette in nature that contained very little gray. After the confrontation in La Push with Edward, there hadn't been anything else to break the monotony. the steady swelling of Luna's belly reminded them of what spring was all about though, and Harry noticed Neville starting to look as twitchy as Neville was capable of looking with his temperament (living with his grandma for so many years had turned him into something close to a saint).

Hermione burst into action as Luna's pregnancy progressed, and kept busy planning her wedding on top of it, staying in contact with Mrs. Weasley through fire call.

Luna was now hounded out of bed in the morning to exercise in a series of strange movements alongside Hermione that seemed to prominently involve stretching her joints and spine farther than she'd thought was possible. And not to mention that she was given a variety of capsules apparently filled with 'vital nutritional components that will ensure a healthy pregnancy and childbirth' by Hermione, who watched her until she swallowed all of them and made sure that she didn't vomit them up if she was feeling nauseous.

They'd stopped asking after she launched herself into a lecture on the benefits of a balanced health program twice in a row, though, in retrospect, it might have been have had something to do with the entire pot of coffee she'd drank.

At this precise moment, Bella was helping Hermione choose what kind of invitation to use, though not very many would be necessary since she was having a small wedding and almost all of the really important people were living with her and fully aware of more details than they cared to know.

Between themselves, Ron and Hermione had decided on June 27th as the date for their wedding since it was just inside summer break, which would mean that Harry would have more time to help them out with the stuff that couldn't be dealt with until the very last minute.

"I like the silver edging better on this one, since the curves kind of remind me of lilies in the valley and those are going to be in your bouquet." Bella pointed out, holding up a clear plastic box containing neat stacks of invitations that did, indeed look like lilies of the valley. "But the theme of your wedding is gold so…?"

"Oh shit, that's right." Hermione took the invitations, opening the box and turning one of them over in her hands. "Maybe they come in gold as well? Some of the other brands are doing that."

"I think you should pick a second option, in gold, just to be on the safe side."

Hermione nodded. "I agree. That's a good plan, Bella." She looked up and smiled broadly at the Muggle girl. "I'm really happy you're here helping me out. It's really nice to have an extra girl around."

"Well, thanks. I like being here, planning all this stuff, and the free beverages round it out to a pretty sweet deal." She smiled back, blushing a little bit. Jessica and Angela were both okay girls, but she couldn't connect with them very well any more, not since she'd stopped looking at just the face surface of things most of the time. When she started paying more attention to what they talked about and how they treated her, she realized that they were either with her because she was a novelty of some kind, or they just hadn't realized that they didn't actually have anything in common anymore. They rarely sat together at lunch these days, which she didn't mind since it meant that she could have more personal chats with Harry.

"Girl time is nice whether you're using me for free liquid or not." Hermione shrugged, laughing a little and setting the invitations aside.

"Speaking of girls, where is Luna right now? I haven't seen her at all and I've been here two hours."

"Oh, she's having a lie-down upstairs in my room. The poor thing is exhausted even though she's not that far along just yet. She's so tiny, though, so I guess it makes sense that she's not used to carrying around the extra weight, freaky strength in arm wrestling contests aside."

Bella frowned. "What kind of extra weight? Is she depressed or something? Maybe it's not a good idea to leave her alone if that's the case…"

"No, Luna's been quite cheerful recently. It's the baby that's got her energy bogged today."

"W-what baby?"

Hermione blinked and then her mouth dropped open. "Oh my god, you mean you really don't know?"

"What? Know what?" Bella started to look stressed out, shifting to the edge of her seat, her hands hovering half-way up in the air from where previously they'd been neatly folded in her lap.

"Luna's expecting."

"Expecting as in…as in _pregnant?" _Kids in her high school had sex, she knew, and of course Ron and Hermione were rather obviously involved, but there was no one pregnant at her school. She hadn't been exposed to an underage mother since before the move, and even then it hadn't been personally. She found herself feeling just a little bit scandalized, despite her open-mindedness to whatever her new friends found appropriate.

"Yeah, and we don't who the father is just yet, but I think," she leaned forward and lowered her voice, "I think that she might have been raped."

Bella gasped, her inner moral meter that she'd just discovered she had swinging wildly. "That's horrible! How do you know?"

"I don't _know, _but when she first came here, there were gauges down her mid-section and she seemed more off than usual, like there was something violent that came up to make her late. She covered her tracks well, but she didn't fool me. I just hope that she trusts me enough someday to tell me what happened."

"Wow." Bella just sat there for a moment, and then grabbed her tea, cradling it in her hands and watching the steam rise steadily into the air in insubstantial curves. "That's…wow. I can't believe I didn't know about this. I just thought she was gaining some weight, so of course I didn't bring it up."

"Sorry I didn't realize sooner. Not to change the subject or anything, but do you want anything to eat? Dinner isn't for another couple of hours and I feel a little peckish."

"Perfect timing, Hermione, because I'm hungry too and could use a little something." Luna's misty voice broke over them and they both jumped, turning to see her standing in the doorframe, leaning against it sleepily. There was a faint outline through her shirt that, now that Bella was paying more attention, was too firm to be fat.

Hermione laughed. "You might be pregnant, but don't expect me to treat you like a princess."

Five minutes later she was dutifully slathering jam on Luna's toast for her.

"Have you decided on what kind of dress you want yet?" Bella asked, her fingers fiddling with one of the tassels on the new blinds set up along the kitchen windows. It was yellow and had a little bead on the top of it that refracted the rare spring sunshine weakly coming through a gap in the cloud cover.

She stomped down the rising memories of the day Edward had first tried to scare her off by revealing the way he glittered in sunlight. The following afternoon spent in the glade admiring it seemed too foolish and naïve to her now. Why hadn't she run away immediately? He'd told her that everything invited her in, and she'd stupidly believed that her own feelings for him were what motivated her to stay by his side despite the danger. But now she knew better, and she was never going to get involved with someone who could control her desires either consciously or unconsciously ever again. The next time she devoted herself to someone, she was going to make absolutely sure that she really was in love first.

"Not yet. Are you alright, Bella?"

"Huh?"

Hermione touched her neck gently, feeling her pulse. "You feel fine, but you looked a little funny there for a second. Are you feeling alright, honey?"

Bella stuttered a little bit before coming fully out of her introspection. "I'm totally fine. I just thought about something, that's all."

"Anything you want to share?"

"No…I…yeah, a little bit."

Hermione took a seat beside Luna on the bench, sliding the plate with her toast on it over to her and gestured for Bella to have a seat as well. Bella sat, and wondered why she was going to do this. Her mother was a big believer in therapy, especially therapy through talking through one's problems or feelings. Supposedly hearing your own voice putting what has been on your mind for god knows how long into words makes things clearer. Now that she thought about it, there was some merit to that, but still. What if they thought she was a stupid little girl, or sided with Edward?

She clamped her nails into her own wrist to draw herself away from insecurity. This was either going to help her or do absolutely nothing, so she had nothing to fear and might as well get on with it before Hermione really thought she was getting sick and started feeding her chamomile tea again.

"Well, you guys know I used to be with Edward Cullen, right?"

"The psycho in La Push who was stalking you? Yeah, I know the one."

Bella winced at the word 'psycho'. "I kind of flipped out on him when he first came back, too, not just that one time in La Push because he left me without a note or anything, he even took away the mix tape he made me. What I want to know is if you guys think I over-reacted?"

Hermione chewed her lip and Luna crunched her toast. Luna spoke up after chewing carefully and swallowing. "His energy was twisted, and even if it wasn't, you two aren't compatible."

"Uh, thanks?" What the hell?

"You're welcome. I'm guessing you rarely had any meaningful connection in conversation or interests?"

Now that she thought about it, Luna was right. "Yeah! I don't know what I was thinking when we started seeing each other. I mean, he plays piano and collects music and enjoys playing baseball with his family, but I guess that doesn't really tell me anything about _who _he is." She laughed a little, the sound hollow even to her. "I don't know why I thought we had something, now, and with how crazy he's been lately I can't look back at it without feeling like a complete moron."

They were silent for a while, and Hermione reached across the table to gently touch Bella's hand.

"You couldn't have known he was going to be such a creep when you guys first met, could you? And besides, we're all young here. I'm guessing he was your first real boyfriend?"

Bella nodded.

"So there you go. Its practically a rule that all women have to have dated at least one complete asshole in their lives."

This startled a laugh out of Bella, and she used her free hand to rub at her eyes briefly to get rid of the moisture starting to gather at the edges. "Thanks, but I did know he was kind of a creep and I dated him anyway."

"Oh really? How'd you know?"

She shrugged uncomfortably. "I saw him watching me at school, and later on I found out that he was watching me while I slept before we'd even properly spoken to each other."

Hermione groaned. "Okay, I'm seeing the stupid aspect now."

"Hey, shut up! I thought you guys were going to be supportive of me, here." Bella grinned to show she was kidding, feeling her mood lifting already. "I just wish I could cut him out of my life completely and never think about him again."

They nodded sympathetically.

"Well…if you want, we can get Harry to track down some yew bushes for us and make a stake to take care of the problem for good." Luna casually suggested, as if mentioning the weather.

Bella choked. "Uh, no thank you! I don't want him dead, just away."

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End chapter 44

I'll update again as soon as I can.


	45. Chapter 45

A/N: the rational part of my brain insists that it hasn't been that long since I've last updated (comparatively), but it feels like a million years to me! I've been away from my desk a ton and also deprived of uninterrupted alone time, which basically ate my writing focus, despite how meager it was.

CHAPTER 45

Alone in the room he shared with Neville for once, hair still wet from his shower and trickling freezing water down his back, Harry settled himself amongst his study materials and took a few deep breaths to prepare his mind for 'heavy labor'.

Half an hour went by before his hair stopped dripping, his attention distracted by the loud rumbling sound of Emmett's vehicle pulling beside Bella's truck. Well fuck. There went any hope he had of concentrating at all on the assignments he had left since trying to focus on much of anything while his boyfriend was around was becoming increasingly difficult.

He made a last ditch effort to make sense of his math anyway.

The clock ticked out a full 30 seconds before his door softly opened, socked feet crossed the floor, and a faint shape materialized in his peripheral vision.

"Hey."

"Hm? Oh! Hey yourself." Harry smiled briefly at Emmett before bending back over his textbook. Exams were looming even though Easter hadn't yet graced them with its egg-filled presence. Since he hadn't really paid too much attention in class (just enough to keep his grades in the average sector so Bert would shut up about being 'all hero but still a zero'), he was now paying the price for it.

"You're uh, studying in a _towel, _Harry."

There was a faint squeak in the way Emmett said 'towel' that made Harry want to smirk very, very much. He suppressed one just in time and managed to keep his face neutral.

"Yeah, I know."

Emmett's eyebrows rose. "Okay then. Just making sure you knew." Not knowing what else to do, he sat next to him on the bed and leaned over his shoulder to see what he was working on. This also doubled as an excuse to not only be closer to him, but to smell how nice and clean he was; Harry used very nice lavender soap (that he stole without remorse from Hermione but whatever). Upon noticing that not only was it mathematics but that Harry had chewed almost completely through his pencil in frustration, he spoke up softly, "Do you need some tips?"

"Would you?" There desperate hope in his eyes and Emmett just knew that he was going to be there for a while. He firmly decided that he really had nothing better to do with his seemingly endless immortality.

"Okay, the first thing you need to realize about logarithms is…"

He might have issues with writing, but mathematics was cake, and he was ecstatic for this new chance to show another side of himself and help his boyfriend out at the same time. When he finished his mini-lecture, Harry's lips were no longer downturned and he was outright grinning at him.

"Have you considered teaching?"

Emmett shrugged. "I can't. This day too much is recorded in background checks and fingerprinting and they want your life story before they hire you and I can't afford to leave that kind of 'evidence of existence', as Carlisle says."

"Ah, but you still want to, so I was right." Harry poked his nose triumphantly, grinning when Emmett wrinkled his nose at him. "Now that my math studying has been completed, since learning anything more at this point would be purely counter-productive, did you want to go do something?"

"Like what?" he moved closer still, curling an arm around Harry, startled at how warm bare human skin was all over again. He didn't think he would ever get used to that even if he spent Harry's entire life curled against him just basking in the feeling of life. It was the little things that he missed, being a Vampire, like the roar of your pulse, a noise that most people can ignore for most of the time because of its constancy. Being in a body that should be long buried and rotting in the ground was eerily silent.

"Don't be a pervert just because I'm wearing a towel."

He leered, thoughts that he hadn't even considered before much less acting on due to his prudish upbringing rising to the surface. "I think I have the right to be a pervert if you're going to be a tease. Teasing does not go unpunished, young man."

Harry stuck out his lower lip. "But I want to go out!"

He blinked. "What does that have to do with my apparent perversion?"

"Well, I can't just take you out in public when you're being indecent, can I? It wouldn't be proper." He grinned, plucking at his bedcover for a moment before closing his books and stretching, disturbing Emmett's arm.

He adjusted himself so he could pull Harry onto his lap and tucked his face between Harry's bare shoulder blades, humming when he felt the body heat slowly coming off and thawing some of the strangeness that he'd never truly gotten over since his transformation into a Vampire. "You smell nice."

"Thanks, love." Harry kidnapped one of his hands and played with the webbing between his fingers, eyes thoughtful. Emmett let his eyes close and just let himself enjoy spending time with Harry, who had been a little edgy lately with impending exams and his two best friend's marriage preparations. The entire table that had once been devoted solely to Hermione's research, set up in the living room, was now weighed down with bridal-themed magazines, scraps of white lace to be compared against each other, and even bridal registry lists.

He was relieved that Harry was in such a good mood, actually, with that kind of overpowering presence in such a prominent section of the house.

"So did you have someplace in particular that you wanted to go to?"

Harry shrugged a bare shoulder, not looking up from his hand. "Dinner, maybe? Or a film? I'm not particular, I just want to get out of here for a little while. I'm developing cabin fever."

Emmett considered this. "We can have dinner and a movie like normal people."

"That sounds cool."

"Alright; get yourself dressed and I'll find out what films are showing-"

"Yes!" Harry crowed, more than happy to be leaving the house for once. He got off of Emmett's lap, tripping unexpectedly on a tangled edge of his coverlet. His towel flipped up and he hastily adjusted it, face burning as he headed for his closet.

Emmett hid his grin behind his cell phone, which he was using to check show times.

"That didn't happen."

"I know."

"I mean it."

"Of course, honey."

"Emmett!" Harry whined, slouching into a pair of jeans and giving him a Look. "I can feel your insincerity all of the way over here."

"My bad. You seem more…emotional than usual. Are you feeling okay, with everything?"

He sagged against the door to his closet, one arm hanging listlessly outside of his sweater sleeve. "I'm just so stressed. The rational part of my brain keeps telling me to calm down because 'Mione and Ron have practically been married ever since they started dating and they're still going to be close by and everything, but its still a huge change to the way we've always interacted with each other. Not to mention that Luna is _pregnant!"_

"I thought you'd known about that for a while?"

"I have, but…but…" he sat down on the bed next to the Vampire, who set down his phone and ran his large palm soothingly up and down his back. "She's showing now, and I just have trouble accepting that along with everything else. I guess you could say that I was hoping that now, after the war is finally over, I would have some proper stability."

Emmett wondered what to say to that for a moment, and then lit up. "I promise you that I won't ever leave you. You can rely on me to always be here, for stability." He tenderly kissed his cheek, feeling like a mawkish girl but not caring.

"You are such a sap."

He groaned. "I knoooow. And it's your entire fault!"

Harry laughed, sounding almost relieved to lift the heavy mood that had settled over them like a storm cloud. "Did you find anything interesting for us to watch?"

"Oh! Well, there isn't really anything good out, but there is some action flick that might be interesting if only to analyze how over-used the themes are."

"That sounds fine."

"Good! What do you want to eat, by the way?"

Harry chewed his lip, finally sticking his other arm into his sleeve and reaching into his drawer for some socks. Not finding anything, he just tugged on his nearest pair of shoes with a sigh. "I don't know, but curry sounds kind of good."

"Like, Indian food?"

"Yeah!"

"Can I come-"

Ron got a set of twin glares for daring to ruin their moment.

"I guess not, then." He skulked out of the room to go harass Hermione, wondering what he was going to eat.

"We should probably get out of here before everyone else decides that they want to join us and ruin my plans of ambushing you with footsie." Harry seriously pointed out, tugging on a light jacket with a hood, for protection in the high likelihood of it raining on them.

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'Ambush' didn't cover the amount of risqué under-table foot flirting that Emmett was subjected to. Not that he was complaining: it was just slightly awkward to try and suppress a flurry of very strong desires simultaneously in public.

And for once, not one of them included biting Harry in a harmful manner, which was almost euphoric in and of itself.

"What are you smiling about?" Harry asked over the rim of his water glass, eyes dilated in the gloom of the restaurant. His calf was resting happily alongside Emmett's.

Emmett swallowed his own drool hastily before replying, "I feel really human right now. It feels good…peaceful, like I've finally relaxed parts of me I didn't realize were tensed up."

Harry smiled too. "I'm happy you feel like that. You look human right now, too."

"Do I?"

"Mm-hm." Harry took a bite of his curry, chewing it thoughtfully. "I wonder…"

"What?"

"Nothing."

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Harry, it's obviously not nothing. I know that look in your eyes and your friends say that it's the same look you always have before one of your little 'plans' happens. What were you thinking just now?"

"Well…my magic doesn't always work the way normal magic is supposed to, and it seems to react to my needs and wants."

"Okay, I follow so far."

"So, it's possible that I might be changing you by accident because I want what's best for us, for the continuing of us."

"Um, you lost me."

Harry took another sip of water. "This is all just theory and gut feelings, but I just might be turning you into a human being so I can spend the rest of my life with you as an equal, which is admittedly something that I want very much."

Emmett cooed at him. "You are such a romantic! It's a nice thought, but I doubt it's possible. If it was, wouldn't Carlisle have heard about it by now?"

Harry just raised his eyebrows to let him know what he thought of that.

Even though he'd brushed it off as one of those weird conversations he had with Harry whenever the topic of his Wizardry came up, he couldn't help but think about it again as he lay beside him in bed, staring at the ceiling.

What if Harry was right?

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End chapter 45

FINALLY!!


	46. Chapter 46

CHAPTER 46

The knock was solid and made the door vibrate inside of its frame.

Nestled into one of the few open spaces left in the living room beside a dozing Luna, Bert raised his head and looked questioningly at Hermione, who shrugged.

"Are you expecting another delivery?"

"No…and Emmett is upstairs with Harry, so who…?"

Bert shrugged back before carefully sliding out from under Luna's weight (she 'liked the way he squished') and stretching. His neck cracked and he moved leisurely through the living room to the hallway, making out the silhouettes of three bulky men and one skinny one through the curtains of the door.

His eyebrows went up and he hesitated long enough to slip his wand into his grasp before opening the door a crack. Unfortunately, whoever it was had decided to knock again just as he was doing so, causing the door the shake uncomfortably in his grasp and smack into his cheek.

"Excuse me, if you wouldn't mind stopping that for a moment?"

The nearest bigger shape, which was now quite clearly a novice Auror dressed in the tell-tale crimson robes, responsible for the jarring knocking ceased, looking embarrassed. One of the other figures nudged him in the ribs, scowling and the first one mouthed 'sorry!'

Bert cleared his throat, grinning when they snapped to attention, the skinny one dressed in plain brown robes twitching slightly. He looked part- House Elf.

"Can I help you gentlemen in some way?"

The skinny one cleared his throat. "We are here on Official Ministry Business to locate the location of one Neville Longbottom."

Bert decided to play it dumb, remembering what Harry had told him about Neville's little 'accident' in the Greenhouse a while back. "Sorry to disappoint you, but there is no one by that name residing here presently. Last I heard from my charges, Mr. Longbottom was engaged as an Herbology Researcher, although they don't know which organization he belonged to."

He made to close the door, but two of the Aurors stepped forward and pushed the door open.

"I'm afraid we'll have to make a thorough search anyway, sir. I apologize for any inconvenience."

The acidly polite tone he spoke in completely contradicted the way his goons were now practically tearing the house apart, opening up doors and rifling through closets. Bert smiled anyway and asked pleasantly,

"Is anyone in the mood for some tea while you work?"

"I'll take some, if it's alright with you, Bert." Hermione requested, sounding perfectly calm despite the danger her friend was in. he nodded, still smiling, cool as a summer's breeze and went into the kitchen.

Unseen, he pressed a switch under the sink which he knew would alert Harry, upstairs, to the danger they were in.

In his room, poised with his wand drawn at the top of the stairs, tense as a bowstring, Harry relaxed slowly. His peripheral vision picked up the flashing 'danger' light and he swept silently back into his bedroom, rooting through his trunk until his fingers caught the slippery fabric of his invisibility cloak.

The stairs to the attic were concealed inside a closet, and he made sure to push the coats back in the way of the door once he'd squeezed through, skipping up the stairs.

Neville was waiting for him, pale and wild-eyed. Harry wrapped the cloak around him and shoved him into a wall cupboard that just barely fit Neville's broad shoulders, casting multiple Notice-Me-Not charms on the cupboard after he'd made sure that his friend was curled into as small of a ball underneath the boxes as possible.

The window stuck a little as his fingers grasped it, and he began to breathe quicker and sharper until it came loose, flying up to smack him under his chin. His jaw clicked together, trapping his tongue on one side and cutting it.

His mouth slowly filled with blood and he winced, slipping out of the window with relative ease and closing it behind himself, balanced on the 'shelf' created by one of the many dormer windows that lined his bedroom walls.

He crept cautiously along the roof, keeping an eye out for loose shingles, until he reached the place where the porch peaked up in a second-story balcony that none of them used. Tensing his muscles, he jumped, landing with a thud onto the 'floor' of the balcony.

The murmur of voices and loud sounds of the house being ransacked paused and he swallowed, reaching into his pocket for his cigarettes. Tapping one out and setting it between his lips, blood leaking out of one corner of his mouth, he lit it and inhaled the nicotine.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see one of the Aurors enter the guest bedroom, which connected to the balcony.

Taking a deeper breath and letting it out slowly, releasing his tell-tale tension with it, he turned around slowly, a sarcastic look on his face. "What are you looking at?"

"Oh, uh, nothing." He seemed embarrassed and a little star-struck at the sight of him. "I don't want to bother you, sir, but I have to say that I really admire you for everything you've done for Wizardkind!"

Oh dear _god. _

"Sure, whatever." He smiled vaguely, taking another drag from his cigarette.

There were a few close calls when they searched the attic and started asking awkward questions about why they would have so many plants up there. One of the Aurors got Poison Oak from touching one of the plants just as they were approaching the cupboard Neville was concealed inside, however, distracting them enough to do a less thorough job searching it.

The injured amateur whined like a small child for a good five minutes before getting threatened by his superior, the one in the brown robes, with some kind of penalty if he didn't _shut the fuck up._

The Aurors continued to search for another three hours, getting more frustrated the longer they looked. And all the while Bert followed them around with a tea pot and various pastries, the picture of a delightful host.

Luna didn't even stir from her sleep, even when they lifted her clear off of the couch (but not without giving the soft swell of her stomach derisive looks) and set her gently on a chair that had already had its stuffing torn out before being repaired by Bert.

"I apologize for this…it would appear that, despite all evidence to the contrary, Mr. Longbottom is not, in fact, residing here in hiding."

"Oh, it's quite alright. I needed to redecorate anyway." Bert chirped, making Ron jump.

The redhead had nearly had a heart attack when he returned from the grocery store to find Aurors rifling through the house and was still more than a little jumpy. He sulkily continued putting his groceries away, glaring resentfully at their backs until one of them starting shifting, uncomfortable from the strength of his ire.

"We'll just be going then."

They practically ran out of the house, Apparatating away with a loud boom like a car backfiring.

A few moments of silence followed before Luna snickered softly, finally awakening from her nap. Hermione tried to stifle her own behind a hand but failed, followed swiftly by everyone else except for Emmett, who was still disgruntled and smelling strongly of the rhododendrons that he had been forced to hide in lest the Aurors arrest him for being a Vampire.

"Fuck, that was close!" Hermione wheezed, sagging against her bridal-strewn table.

"Language, young lady." Bert reprimanded primly, re-seating himself next to Luna who had re-located back to her original place on the sofa. "So, what do you guys want to do for dinner? I don't feel like staying in tonight."

"Me neither." Neville chimed in, descending the stairs with flushed cheeks from being crammed in a stuffy closet for hours. "I say we go to the diner they have in town and then wander around doing whatever afterward, as long as it involves wide open spaces."

"Oh, did your claustrophobia act up?" Harry asked, gently laying a hand on Neville's sleeve. He could feel his sweat through it and winced in sympathy. "No worries. We'll go on a walk now and the others can meet up with us later once they've gotten their shit together."

Neville nodded and followed him like a child into the hallway, Emmett joining them a moment later and pulling on his shoes without question. When he was done he helped Harry find his coat, tucking his boyfriend's arms into the sleeves and kissing the top of his head fondly, ignoring the presence of Neville.

He could smell the hurt inside of Harry's mouth and became a little frustrated with himself for not knowing how to help him out.

The cool early evening air seemed to suck all of the tension of Neville, and he laughed suddenly throwing an arm around Harry and squeezing him against his side in a one-armed hug. "Thank you!"

"No problem. It's not like I was going to let them get you; you know that I'll always have your back, right Nev?"

"Yeah; I just have trouble remembering that sometimes." Neville replied softly.

Harry nodded. "I know the feeling. It took me years to realize that Ron and Hermione really cared about _me, _not my fame or anything else materialistic. I still forget sometimes."

Emmett chewed his lip, frowning to himself in the dark. He was going to do his damnedest to make Harry understand that he wasn't going anywhere either.

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Dinner turned out to be a noisy, crowded affair with all seven of them crammed around a table and stealing tastes of each other's food. To make matters more embarrassing in retrospect (none of them were giving a damn at the moment), Bert ordered several beers and proceeded to become rather friendly with Luna, who put on a disturbingly fake indignant act.

"I'm pregnant, Bert! This is very indecent-"

And so on.

Harry eventually started get a headache from the fluorescent lights and a craving for a smoke, so he gently touched Emmett's thigh under the table and jerked his head towards the door.

Emmett was almost too distracted by the brief touch to comprehend but got his mind out of the gutter long enough to rise and follow him quietly outside. Harry had already lit up and was steadily puffing away while Emmett spent a moment standing awkwardly at a safe distance beside him before giving into his urge and hugging him as tightly as he dared from behind.

Two night-chilled hands settled over his forearms, two of the fingers bracing a cigarette between them. A bit of ash blew off of the end to land in the wet gutter, swept away by the rain that they were dubiously protected from by an awning.

"That was a scare, eh?"

"Mm." Harry hummed in his throat, the sound vibrating in Emmett's eardrums and forcibly dragging the gutter thoughts to the forefront of his mind. He might be old in Human years, but his drive hadn't decreased in the slightest. In spite of everything he believed about morality and the proper way of courting someone, he hadn't had sex in months and months and it was starting to wear him down.

Harry suddenly started to chuckle, quivering slightly. One of the hands rose to let him take a drag.

"What's so funny?"

"Just you. Don't think I don't feel that."

He decided to play dumb for the sake of his dignity. "I don't know what you're talking about."

To his horror, Harry leaned back against him firmly before standing up straight once more. He could practically smell Harry's grin when he whimpered pathetically.

"I think you might have forgotten that I'm a guy too. I'm not ready for that yet, but we can still talk about it. Acknowledging something is just one of the steps towards doing it, right?"

Emmett chose not to reply to that, kissing the side of Harry's neck.

"You can't hide forever, Luke." Harry said randomly in a creepy voice, stomping out his cigarette stub and offering his hand. "Come on, let's take a walk. Its not raining too hard."

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End chapter 46

(wipes sweat off forehead) whew! I wasn't sure whether or not I should let Nevvy-Nev get caught, so you guys lucked out. I decided to show mercy to 'im.

.


	47. Chapter 47

A/N: Am I the only one who wonders why the fuck the Volturi (and various other Vampires) have super-hero powers? Isn't being undead and sparkly enough for you people?

CHAPTER 47

In Volterra, Italy, a very secret meeting was taking place between a large number of the undead, all of whom were much too old to be having secret club meetings like grade-schoolers desperate for some organization in their lives. The Volturi, self-proclaimed royalty of the Vampire race (that they knew about, that is), were holding the first formal audience in a thousand years.

There just wasn't anything else going on and so there were a lot more present than usual.

Once the aggrieved party finished his tale, silence descended for a full ten seconds, all eyes, red or yellow or black, turning to Caius to see what he had to say about this most unusual complaint.

"Something must be done at once."

This much was agreed upon amongst the numbers of the Volturi, the statement echoing throughout their meeting chamber before dying out into faint murmuring behind hands.

"How could a threat like this one go so long unnoticed?" Aro spoke up, a frown marring his face.

There was a general baffled shrug before they turned to the source who had alerted them of such a bizarre and very upsetting threat to their supremacy. Edward shifted awkwardly in his chair, feeling more human than he had in years, reminded of how it had felt to be on the brink of being punished by his parents as a little boy.

"I do not know. I assumed you were already aware of him and merely meant to petition for something to be done about it sooner rather than later." Edward said softly in his politest voice. He felt a little bit guilty about lying to Carlisle and Esme, his surrogate parents, but this had to be done. They were blinded by Emmett's infatuation with that human, not seeing what a threat he was to Vampire-kind. Bella had been trustworthy, her love keeping her faithful and silent, but this one was independent and had some strange sort of power.

It had taken some intricate lies and careful planning to ensure that Alice did not foresee it, but he had managed it in the end: as far as his family was aware, he was taking a sabbatical in Iceland to move about freely since he was feeling 'depressed' by forcibly holding himself back so he could appear to move like a Human. Their thoughts told him that they hoped he would find 'healing' from Bella's rejection as well.

Instead, he was informing the Volturi of the unreliable human currently threatening his coven's unity, a human that had known they were Vampires before getting to know them, which was very sinister to the Volturi because it was a breach in the code of secrecy. Someone had told him, after all, and needed to be punished, possibly killed, in addition to the human's assassination.

"Something will be done, that's for sure." Caius growled. "Those among you, who have nothing better to be doing at the moment, raise your hands."

Five hands rose almost shyly, one of them belonging to Aro himself.

"Excellent. You five will head the tracking, containing, and transportation of this human. Once he is brought here, we will question him about his sources and knowledge of our kind." He sneered, upper lip pulling back to reveal his canines, sharp and lethal from years of being a predator. "I hope you all understand that failure to complete any of the steps I have specified will result in severe punishment. This is a crisis, and I wish for you to treat it as such. Now go!"

Aro arose gracefully, Renata mirroring him like a sometimes-irritating shadow, and led the other three out the door.

Edward began to have a serious case of buyer's regret in place of the triumph he was expecting to feel, knowing that the person he considered a chief player in brain-washing Bella against him would be taken in hand.

Maybe, just maybe, this hadn't been such a good idea.

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Harry frowned, looking at the spread of absolutely identical dresses that Hermione had prepared for him, her face expectant.

"Uh…"

She sighed. "Harry, this isn't an exam. Just tell me which one you like best. I've narrowed it down to those six and will be happy with any of them, not to mention that they're affordable, so I'm getting other people's opinions to help me pick."

He looked desperately from one dress to the next, finally noticing that some had variations on the bodice, and that one had a sheer over-lay type of thing.

"I think I like that one." He indicated the sheer one, tapping his finger on it. There were no ridiculous over-done frills, the dress little more than a simple 30s-style sheath with pearls studding the top of the strapless bodice, from which hung the sheer layer.

"Good choice; Luna picked that one too."

"Can I go now?" He asked awkwardly, not wanting to look like a jerk, but beginning to feel uncomfortable with the overwhelming girly-ness of it all.

She sighed and waved him away. "Yeah, yeah. Go do whatever it is manly boys do."

"Meanie." He pretended to sulk, heading outside to sit on the porch, grabbing his book off of the kitchen counter along the way. It was a novel titled 'Invitation to a Beheading' by some Russian guy with a flair for the interesting that Luna had recommended to him. The plot resembled that of Alice in Wonderland in the respect that it made him feel a little like he was on drugs.

He resolved to recommend it to Bella later.

The bench was just digging its wooden self into his flesh and stiffening his joints when it swayed dangerously from someone else sitting on it.

Glancing over revealed that someone to be Bysshe, who was sporting a strange new scar on his left cheek. It looked like a pair of silvering crescents facing each other. His eyebrows rose as he went through a mental inventory of what could make that kind of mark.

"What the hell is your problem, Bysshe?"

He sniffed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm talking about that new House Elf scar on your _face. _We both know how docile House Elves are naturally- you have to make a real effort to piss them off to the point of them deciding that biting you is a good solution. So what did you do?"

"Hey, before you get too into your insults, I want you to know that I did it for you."

"Oh really?"

"Yes. I was visiting Malfoy Manor, what little remains of it, and found out some interesting tidbits before I was attacked by one of those ferocious little creatures. Did you know that it actually beat me about the head with its broom before it realized I was a Vampire?"

Harry snickered but sobered quickly. "What have our favorite Purebloods been up to lately?"

"Lucius has made no effort to contact his son, which proves that they are not working together against your sacred person."

Harry waved a hand impatiently. "Yeah, tell me something I don't know. What else did you discover?"

"Using their family tree, something that I am truly shocked has managed to remain unnoticed by the Aurors-"

Harry snorted.

"-I perceived that Lucius himself was recently in San Francisco, California, but recently relocated to Chicago."

"Ah. Have you figured out what means he's using to track me?"

"Nope, but I doubt its anything sophisticated. He's probably just doing it the Muggle way."

"Hm." Harry nodded.

Silence reigned, disturbed only by the faint buzzing of the bees and even a few hoarse bird calls. The leaves, now fully restored from the winter cold into their full glory, rustled in a sudden breeze that carried some of the fine mist under the shelter of the porch. Harry closed his eyes and was just contemplating taking a nap when something occurred to him.

"Are you, by any chance, expecting to get paid for this service?"

"What service?" Bysshe asked, sounding as close to sleepy as a Vampire can get.

"This one." Harry made a sweeping gesture, forming an elliptical in the air. "This 'keeping tabs on psychopaths out for my blood' service that you've been doing for me. What do you want for your trouble?"

Bysshe shrugged. "You don't have anything that I want, other than company and a nip of blood every now and again."

"Is that a yes or a no?"

"A little bit of both."

Harry groaned, rubbing at his forehead. "God, you must have some kind of grudge against giving straight answers or something ridiculous like that."

"Well, where I grew up, being a good liar was both something that could send you to a nasty afterlife and something prized as a quality of the gods. If you listen to the old stories, myths as they're called today, cunning and trickery, with words especially, feature prominently. So when I was old enough to realize this, I decided that I wanted to emulate the gods as much as possible because I wanted to be one just like little kids want to be super heroes today, which led to a series of events that formed the lying bastard you're looking at right now."

"Ah." Harry laughed a little, eyes sparkling. "You really are a bastard, though."

"Thanks, kid."

"Don't call me that!"

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Luna ran the thin, fraying edge of her skirt through her fingers over and over, twisting the fabric this way and that to see how the lamplight filtered through it. The tiny pinpricks of light peeking through were comforting, reminding her of when she would hide under the covers as her mother reached the 'scary parts' in her bedtime stories.

Harry's guardian, Bert, was sleeping close by on the couch beside her. He looked like a child, breaths quiet and not at all like Ron's snoring.

She sighed, rubbing a hand across her belly with a faint smile. The situation that had led to her pregnancy still upset her, and she knew that she should report him soon, but she couldn't be bothered with that right now. Right now she wanted to focus on being as calm and healthy as possible for the sake of her child- even if it did mean having her bodily functions messed up and hot spells in the middle of the day for no reason.

The sound of bare feet whispering across the wood floor and then the rugs made her look up, curious. Neville smiled shyly, holding out one of the tea mugs in his hands. She accepted it with a smile of her own, curling into herself a little to give him more space beside her on the sofa.

"Hello."

She blew on her tea to hide her widening grin. Neville was awfully particular about some things, and formal greetings were one of those.

"Hello Neville."

"How are you feeling?"

She delicately lifted one shoulder, doing her best to look careless despite her discomfort. "I'm as well as I can be. I felt kind of nauseous earlier, but I had some ice cream and it went away. I feel good in a different way now, though. It's…nice, knowing that I'm going to make another person."

He tilted his head. "Will the father be present at all in the process of raising the new little person you're making?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Why not?" His question was almost a whisper, like he was afraid to ask.

"Because I say so. And hopefully he will be in prison for what he did."

He was silent, sipping his tea. Just as she thought that he was going to let it go, he reached out with his free hand and gently took hers, her fingers swollen slightly from pregnancy. Squeezing it gently, he softly said with the seriousness of a mortician, "If you want, I can tear him in half for you."

It was a very tempting offer.

"You'd better not. I don't want you to ruin your record like that."

"How could I ruin it further? I was involved in an obscure circle of Dark Magic without authorization, authorization that doesn't even exist and for a damn good reason too, and because of it a man was eaten alive. Tearing a rapist into pieces would hardly work against me."

"Well, if, by some miracle, you find out whom he is and where he is, you have my permission to do whatever you like as a reward for your efforts."

He grinned, massaging her fingers. "Good."

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End chapter 47


	48. Chapter 48

A/N: I deleted half of this by accident and had to re-write it. Dammit! Anyways, I will be away from home until sometimes Tuesday [5/19/09], which means no updates.

CHAPTER 48

It was absolutely incredible if you stopped to think about it. The Wizarding Witness Protection Service didn't even bother to change his _name, _much less his appearance, date of birth, or any other distinguishing charateristics. All they seemed to do was take a person and place them in an innocuous location and not tell anyone which one it was_. _

And there his name was, in plain black lettering, right next to an address in Forks, Washington. Lucius grinned, his teeth cracked and yellowed from lack of care. He was going to wring that boy's neck once and for all.

Knowing how incompetent the Ministry was, they probably wouldn't even notice that he was dead until they came to collect him on his seventeenth birthday.

A quick glance at the bus chart he'd filched from the train station earlier, he began to take notes on a sticky note next to it about how much he would need for costs and provisions. This was just too easy.

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Hermione smiled, satisfied with herself. She'd written out and sent off all of her invitations, her dress was being tailored to fit her, and she had the location settled!

Behind a bag of crisps, or chips, Bella smirked at her, shaking her head and giggling a little bit when Hermione tossed a pen at her. The ink made a blotch on her notebook, already marred with half a dozen similar markings, and Bella feigned fury.

"How dare you?!"

Hermione laughed outright, shielding herself with her own bag of chips. They were eating junk food in a sort of fattening celebration ceremony of everything that they'd gotten done.

Bella sighed, settling down and crunching down on some chips.

"I wish I was getting married too…"

"Oh, Bella-"

"No, I don't actually want it now- someday it'll be nice, but not now." She looked down at her hands, playing with a mood ring that she'd bought on a whim. "I just get kind of lonely sometimes. Before Edward and I started dating, boyfriends were a part of my friend's lives, not mine, and I didn't mind at all because I didn't know what I was missing out on. Not that I mind being single, since I can really focus on things that matter more to me. Do you know what I mean?"

"Absolutely. At school, I didn't have any female friends for years. Hell, Ron used to forget I was a girl, and I wasn't the tomboy type." She took a sip of her soda. "When the other girls stopped simply giggling at boys and actually going out with them, and messing around of course, I was first uncomfortable and then resentful because nobody asked me out anywhere. But then, when I was barely fifteen, a famous Wizarding athlete asked me to go to a school ball with him. He was my first boyfriend, if you can even call what we had that. The experience was pleasant enough, but I decided that just dating various people that I thought were 'cute' or whatever wasn't what I wanted to spend my school years doing."

"So…what? Did you just not date anyone at all?"

Hermione laughed. "I always had eyes for Ron, and when I finally sucked up my pride and acknowledged it like an adult, I decided to get what I wanted, even if it meant waiting until he returned my feelings and sabotaging his girlfriends in the process. I don't regret not having a string of immature boys under my belt in the slightest. Ron is more than enough."

"Oh, I can tell."

"Pervert."

"Hey, I'm not blind to the body-type correlation-"

Bert choked on his coffee, bursting into near-hysterical laughter just as he walked into the living room, catching the tail-end of their 'discussion'. While they glared at him, he tried to regain his breath and spilled hot coffee on himself several times.

"I knew it was true!" he choked out at last waving a hand at them.

"Knew what was true? That you're a dirty old man?"

"Old? Old?! I am in the prime of my life! Hell, compared to some of the fossils they have inhabiting offices these days, I'm a bloody infant!"

Hermione snickered, exchanging eye-rolls with Bella, taking another swig of her soda and wincing at the almost painful carbonation sensation in her throat. "Sure, sure, whatever lets you sleep at night…all alone in your cold bed."

He sniffed. "I was going to say that this is ample proof that women are perverts too, possibly more than men, but I guess you also beat us in the childish department."

"Oh really? I object to that."

"Yeah. We all know that you have worse table manners than Ron and I swear I saw you sucking your thumb once!" Bella triumphantly chimed in, snatching her bag of chips away before Bert could raid it.

"I can tell that you two aren't getting enough if you can be this cruel to a hapless innocent."

They snorted in perfect time. "Innocent my ass." Hermione smirked at his back as he left the room, sighing in an overly-dramatic fashion.

0000000

"Have you found him yet?" Aro asked, buffing his nails and turning them this way and that in the grey gloom provided by the roof of the dilapidated shack they were hiding out in as a base of operations. Getting to Forks was easy enough, disgusting little smear on a map thought it be. Finding out which human it was, however, was proving to be a little...difficult.

"No."

A few minutes passed and Aro knew that doing anything else to his fingernails at this point would be detrimental. "How about now?"

"_No, _Aro. Can you please be quiet? Your presence alone is distracting enough, but I draw the line at speaking to me."

"Before you start trying again, about what percentage of the town have you checked at this point?"

"More than half."

"God, really? We've been here for weeks! Easter is in three days, for fuck's sakes!" Aro whined, dropping his hand from his face where he'd been brushing his hair out of his eyes. All of the moisture in the air was making it frizz like mad.

Demetri was obviously holding back a groan. "If our informant had been a bit more descriptive, this wouldn't be taking so long. Now please shut up!"

Left to his own devices, which were rapidly losing any of the faint sheen of charm they might have held weeks ago, he wondered if irritating the twins at this point would be a good idea or a bad one. Really, you'd think that, being the father of the largest and oldest Vampire coven to ever exist would prevent him from getting saddled with situations like his current one, which namely consisted of sitting around on his ass and telling Renata to piss off and stop hovering so far.

She was insufferable when she was trying to be helpful outside of battle, not that he ever let other people besides her know that.

To make things worse, he knew for a fact that Caius had deliberately made sure that he would go on this mission. Initially he had been interested, since this wasn't something that had happened before and he was curious about the human itself, but he wasn't expecting it to take this long. Caius had long begun to chafe under their dual authority, and had been perpetrating various rumors about Aro in order to make himself look better.

If this was the good old days, he would have just killed Caius before his poison could sink in any deeper, but that would just drive in the last nail in his own coffin since it would confirm whatever bullshit Caius was spreading about him being a 'traditionalist' and 'behind the modern times'.

He snorted. Whatever that was supposed to mean, he doubted Caius knew himself.

Thanks to his co-leader's scheming, he was far from Volterra (and likely to return to his own execution), he was uncomfortable and his schedule was all messed up. There were a lot of festivals and special annual events that occurred around Easter weekend that he had been looking forward to all winter that he was going to miss at this rate.

Stretching his senses, he discovered that the twins were not play-fighting as he had assumed earlier. They were in a clearing, the shredded remains of the deer that they'd consumed recently off to one side, tearing at each other's hair and gnashing their teeth.

His eyes widened as he went through a rapid mental inventory of their past excursions together. This was not a good sign. Demetri's patience was wearing thin, he was bored, Renata was getting motherly, and now the twins were upset!

This was turning out to be quite the disaster and he could only hope that they found that human before they killed each other.

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It was Good Friday and Harry was desperately hoping that, by the time Monday rolled around, he wouldn't come into school to find juvenile depictions of eggs and pastel rabbits decorating every available surface thanks to some team of crazed female freshmen.

Things like that made him very happy to be gay.

Since the rain wasn't nearly bad as it usually was, and the air was quite nice, almost balmy, he decided to walk home instead of calling Bert to remind him to come pick him up.

He hadn't walked three blocks outside of school before he tripped on an untied shoelace and tumbled into a puddle like a disgruntled cat.

Sniffing, he sat on his haunches and began to re-tie the errant string before it could plot anymore assassinations of his leisurely walk home. A set of scuffed boots, made from Dragonhide, entered his line of sight and he slowly raised his head, his eyebrows going up as well when he took in Bysshe's mile-wide grin.

"There really is no rest for the wicked, is there?"

"None for you, at least. You might get spoiled if you were given a chance to have a nap."

He snickered, finishing with his laces, fingers now cold and clammy from the freezing puddle water. Bysshe helped him up, pulling him into a loose one-armed hug for no perceivable reason.

"Not that I'm complaining, but is there a point to this or did you just miss me?"

"What, I can't just be affectionate to you because I want to?"

Harry sighed, smiling despite himself. "With my particular breed of boyfriend, no, you can't."

"Ah, but he's not here now to prevent me from having my wicked way with you right now." Bysshe triumphantly pointed out, looking far more pleased than he had any right to.

"That's what you think, you smug bastard."

Bysshe grinned down at him, poking him squarely between the eyes and almost knocking his glasses off.

"Well, I do have some interesting news for you."

"Okay, spill."

"Not only does the Ministry of Magic have a shockingly insecure system, but so does St. Mungo's."

Harry blinked. "Alright…"

"I took the liberty of checking up on your health records, and it seems that they are monitoring your general levels through the usual charms, which didn't surprise me, but they are also doing something else."

He gaped comically, effecting exaggerated interest, "Am I pregnant or something?"

Bysshe chuckled. "Nope. You are this close to going psycho-killer on everybody." He held up two fingers with a hairs-breadth amount between them.

"Oh shit, seriously? I was a little stressed recently, but I thought I was just reacting to all of the stupid happy family stuff going on and exam cramming."

"That's probably what it was. If you were paying attention in your health examinations to what they were telling you, you would remember that just about anything could set you off. Hence the hug: I want you to relax, kiddo. Go spend a romantic weekend with that boyfriend or visit a petting zoo or even go to a spa or something. Just don't…don't freak out on us, alright?"

Harry swallowed and nodded seriously. "I'll do my best to keep it toned down."

"Thank you."

"Can I ask why this matters so much to you?"

"I have an itch that you might do something nasty if you do snap. Please, chill out someplace until you don't even feel slightly stressed."

"Alright."

"Good. Do you have any cigarettes?"

"Ah-ha! I knew there was a catch to this!"

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End chapter 48


	49. Chapter 49

CHAPTER 49~

The couch surrounded them like a cloud of warm cushiness, and Harry let the comfort of being close to Emmett and supremely comfortable at the same time lull him into a doze. His head was curled into Emmett's armpit, which had a faint musty smell which he hadn't noticed before, perfectly relaxed for the first time in weeks.

After his little heart-to-heart with Bysshe yesterday, he'd called Emmett as soon as he was home and asked him to come over to spend some time together. They'd gone out to some kind of festival, and he enjoyed himself despite the pastels and screaming children.

The tension that had been building just within his radar of awareness released completely when Emmett tossed his bothersome morals out the window long enough to engage in a brief fumble in the bathroom, which was the only place where they could find some privacy. After exiting the stall, however, they uncomfortably realized that an elderly man had been witness to the entire now-shameful encounter.

He wrinkled his nose in his sleep, nuzzling closer to Emmett when the Vampire unconsciously shifted away from him slightly.

Neither of them had noticed how, during their bathroom encounter, Emmett's skin had heated slightly, making the experience more enjoyable for both of them.

Hermione tip-toed into the room, wearing Ron's sleep shirt and some slippers, smiling at the couple and seating herself across from them on a sofa. She set her mug of post-breakfast tea on the table beside her, switched the lamp on to the lowest setting, and engrossed herself in her book. It was one of Neville's that he'd kindly loaned her, titled 'The World's Deadliest Extinct Flora', which was the self-same book that had led him to track down one of the deadly cacti and gotten him into such a mess.

She sipped her tea, enjoying the ambiance of Saturday morning and wondering how much longer it would be this time before Ron joined the land of the living. Knowing him, he wouldn't wake up until around noon since they'd spent last evening while Harry and Emmett were out sampling the various brands of champagne available for wedding events. Luna had sulked throughout the entire ordeal, grumpily sipping on her kitty cocktail and bemoaning its lack of alcoholic content.

They still hadn't decided on whether they should go with the pinkest one or the bubbliest.

Bert joined her approximately an hour later, Luna attached to his arm and nattering about Boggarts and how to, presumably, discover what they really looked like. He raised his eyebrows at the snoozing couple, who he hadn't been awake to see come home last night (they'd stayed out until three and messed around on the couch for over an hour after coming home before Harry fell asleep).

Hermione grinned and mouthed, "They're so cute."

Emmett wondered if she'd forgotten that he was still awake.

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In their clearing just brushing the edges of Forks, not a blade of grass stirred. Even the ever-present storming from the sky had halted today, leaving a flat, gray expanse instead of mercurially shifting clouds unloosing their burdens.

The wind blew by but hushed itself when it encountered the group of Vampires standing like statues, their eyes fixed on Demetri's sudden alertness. His energy made the air thick with energy, almost buzzing in their ears.

Demetri's eyes suddenly snapped open and he gasped, finally returning to his own body again after his latest spree through the outskirts of the dismally dull mind territory that Forks offered. He swayed dangerously, not quite used to being the in physical world yet, shifting one foot into a wider stance so he could ground himself. He had barely regained his center when-

Someone with a firm grip grabbed his shoulders and held him forcibly upright, ruining his independent fight for his own sense of balance.

"Did you get him? Did you get him?" Aro asked impatiently, stomping on his desire to shake the guardian like a ragdoll when he didn't answer right away. Normally he would have, but that would just make the whole process take even longer (Demetri's tirades could be shockingly lengthy when he got enough emotion behind them), so he resisted for the time being.

"Y-yes. I couldn't read any of his thoughts, but I know which one it is."

"Excellent!" The hysteric joy of a madman who has obtained a colored crayon flashed in his red-tinged eyes, turning his visage into that of a demon. "We can commence the kidnapping immediately!" More gleeful than is appropriate for a man his age, Aro dashed off to fetch the twins, leaving Renata and Demetri to fiddle awkwardly with their hands, neither sure if they ought to say something to the other.

Thankfully for both of their sense of dignity (Renata had just opened her mouth), he returned before they had to break the silence with the twins following faithfully, pushing each other from side to side as they went playfully.

"Lead the way, Demetri! If we're lucky, we'll get this wrapped up in time for me to catch the second-half of at least a portion of the festivals that this damned mission is making me miss."

Renata rolled her eyes behind his back, mouthing "Fey" to Demetri, who nodded vigorously.

As one they began moving swiftly and silently, like the wind, through the trees and towards the other side of Forks, where a certain beaten-down housed one Vampire and quite a few war veteran Wizards.

0000000

The bus was the same as any other Muggle bus that Lucius had ever been on during his sabbatical in America, its windows marked with the grease-paint fingerprints of previous occupants and the seats cracking a little in the corners from too much use. The same sorts of people were on the bus as always, and he unconsciously steered clear from the homeless woman with the grabby sort of fingers.

He didn't see any of this, though, nor was he he aware of when he'd selected a seat at the back and sat down. All he could see was a glorious vehicle that would carry him to fulfill his mission.

His unseeing eyes drifted shut with bliss.

And when he had killed Potter, then and only then would he allow himself to die as he should have so long ago from the disease literally eating him alive. He raised his left hand and looked at it critically, the sores seeming to look back. One oozed faint pink puss half-heartedly through a crack in the crust covering it like butter sliding down warm toast.

The nurse sitting beside him shuddered, unseen.

It was a very eerie sensation to know that any minute he could drop dead, but he amused himself by thinking up clever torture rituals while he rode on the bus until the time just seemed to sail by.

A short night (dreamless and fitful because his feet were cold) later, it reached its destination and seemed to spit him out.

He was immediately soaked from head to toe and hurried for shelter, taking the disheveled address out of his pocket and smoothing it over his raised knee. Squinting at the names and numbers that he'd long ago memorized in case he lost it, he looked around at the street names, grinning when he found that one of them had the same name as the one in his hand.

If he remembered how to use the Muggle housing system correctly, all he would need to do was walk in this direction until he reached the correct house number.

Full of high hopes and self-created encouragement, he started walking.

0000000

Harry slapped at a fly that had dared to land on his knee, killing it carelessly and missing the sudden stiffening of Emmett's shoulders. He wouldn't have seen it at all if his 'danger sense' hadn't kicked in like it did when he was about to be made miserable or inconvenienced.

"Are you alright, Emmett?"

"Ssh." He shushed him, actually covering his mouth gently with his warm palm. Instead of protesting childishly like he wanted to, he suppressed his inner brat and listened hard, eyes going wide when he realized just how tense Emmett was.

"Babes, I don't hear anything-"

"The Volturi…four of them…oh _fuck."_

"What? Who?"

Emmett stood in one movement, muscles moving too fast to perceive the transition. "This is my entire fault. God, I'm so stupid! Why did I think that they wouldn't notice?" He moaned, gripping his own temples for a second before scooping Harry up like a small child and sprinting up the stairs to his bedroom, depositing him on his bed.

He dug Harry's trunk out of underneath his bed and opened it, starting to pack his boyfriend's belongings. "We don't have much time- how much of this stuff do you need?" his hands blurred when he folded a pair of trousers and several shirts seemingly all at the same time. Harry stopped him with a look.

"Emmett, what's going on? Honey, you look really scared…" He reached out and covered his boyfriend's hand with his own, squeezing his white fingers lovingly and smiling as sweetly as he could while feeling every bit of tension resonating through the Vampire. "C'mon, it can't be that bad. You can tell me."

He took a deep breath and looked down at Harry, not knowing how he could admit to doing something so horrible. "Harry, I…I think I might have gotten you into trouble. But don't worry! I'll die before I let them hurt you."

Harry's eyes narrowed to a comical little squint. "No one dies on my watch, Emmett. Now you tell me what's going on _right this minute."_

And in that one sentence, he managed to convey the entire wrath of a mother scolding a disobedient or unruly child.

The words practically leapt out of his mouth, eager to subdue his boyfriend's temper. "The Volturi are sort of…sort of like the Vampire police. It's against the rules to fraternize with humans without intending to either turn them or eat them."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You know damn well that I have never cared about rules and what I'm allowed to do. What is the penalty?"

Emmett swallowed, hiding his face in Harry's neck. "Death for one or both parties, usually." He blinked when Harry didn't react. "Did you hear me? I've basically signed your death warrant and you aren't hitting me or anything."

Harry laughed, gently smoothing out his hair. He knew that these Volturi people couldn't be far off but was sure that he could calm Emmett down before they came. "I knew the risks when we first met, and I also knew that I wasn't going to let something like that stand between us. We will discuss the situation with these people and if they refuse to negotiate-" his hands clenched, pulling the hair and actually making Emmett wince, "I will kill them all."

His hands resumed their soothing stroking motions. "So stop worrying, you big baby. Everything will be just fine."

Emmett was just starting to believe him when his nose was filled with the overwhelming scent of old Vampires and the sound of the door opening broke the uncanny silence.

Now that he thought about it, the house was never this quiet. Everybody was home…right? Well, except for Neville who was doing a grocery run. Just as he was getting confused, he heard Hermione politely ask,

"Well, hello there! Have a seat in the living room, please. Those whom you came to see will be right with you. Excuse me while I go and get them."

The phantom noise of couch springs bending under the weight filtered through the crackling of the wooden stairs under Hermione's light step. She appeared in the doorway to Harry's room and smiled at him, looking out of breath.

"We have company." Although her tone and smile were cheerful, her hands frantically signed 'danger' and 'aware', generally getting across the point that she was only pretending to be happy because they could sense them.

Harry nodded and stood, taking Emmett's hand in a grip that would have broken a Human's. Emmett cringed inside but spared a moment to wonder:

Was Harry just affecting him more because of all the time they spent together…or was he becoming human again? He'd never heard of this kind of thing happening to another Vampires, but it wasn't like the process of becoming undead came with an owner's manual and they usually didn't talk to other covens…anything was possible.

The staircase had never seemed as short as it did that day and he had to fight not to drag his feet while Harry was as chipper as a shoplifter in Wal-Mart.

"Hi! Sorry to keep you waiting."

Emmett went stiff as a board. Aro himself was sitting in the living room, looking cool as a clam and flanked by Demetri and Renata, both fearsome in their own right. The twins, Jane and Alec, were sitting close by.

"It wasn't a long wait, so you are forgiven."

Harry just kept on smiling at them, gums glinting in the lamplight used to supplement the shy sunlight. "What can I do for you?"

"You can explain to us who broke the code of secrecy and revealed our existence to you prior to your acquaintance to the Cullen Coven."

"And what if I don't want to tell you? That is personal information."

Aro bared his fangs, inwardly confused when Harry didn't react. "You are this close to getting ripped to shreds for your crimes. We are only keeping you alive because we have questions for you. Answer them satisfactorily and we may spare your existence by turning you into one of us."

"No thank you. Being human and having a time limit to how long I'm stuck on this god-awful planet is perfectly enough for me. Once again, what will you do to me if I don't answer?"

Luna prowled lazily into the room, seating herself and gesturing for Harry and Emmett to come and sit with her across from the Vampires. "I wouldn't worry too much about these silly old bats, Harry. Their auras say that they won't live much longer."

"Perfect." Harry got comfortable, sitting with his legs and arms open in a sign of dominance. "Now, how about you stop making idle threats and introduce yourselves like cognizant beings?"

Aro seethed. "I am Aro, leader of the largest coven of Vampires. This makes me a very important person…not the kind you want to be rude to."

Harry just shrugged a shoulder. "Do I look like I care? What about you, sweetheart? What's your name?" He indicated Renata, who froze up. Aro didn't like it when she spoke without his permission.

Her leader impatiently flicked his fingers to let her know that she was allowed. "I'm Renata, Aro's shadow."

"I can see that. And you, big guy?"

"Demetri. I am the one who found your mind in this pit."

"And-"

"Enough of this cheap banter!" Aro suddenly roared, totally ruining his cool. He stood half-crouched, fists clenched. "Answer the question before I make you!"

"Jesus, calm down! I was getting to that." Harry looked at his nails casually, stroking Emmett's foot with his own blatantly. "I know because I'm not a normal human."

There was a collective exchange of puzzled looks between the Vampires.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Harry shrugged again. "You tell me, big man."

"Insolent-" He reached out to strike and Emmett's fist shot up, crunching Aro's far more delicate wrist like it was paper. The Vampire emitted a high-pitched whine, cradling his temporarily damaged limb to his chest like an infant. "Kill them both!" He shrieked, even though a quiet voice at the back of his head decided to point out that a human he hadn't sensed for some reason was now pointing a stick at him.

Bert's gaze was as steady as his hand on his wand. "I don't know where you're from, but where I grew up, it's rude to walk into people's homes without introducing yourself to the host. Who are you and what are you doing in my house?"

Aro sniffed, sensing with an animal instinct that the man with the stick was not to be trifled with, even if he was wearing a plaid bathrobe.

"I am Aro. Now stop pointing that thing at me before I break your neck!"

While this exchange was going on, Demetri and the twins, both of whom were a bit miffed for not getting to introduce themselves, were advancing upon the couple. Emmett stood, his full bulk finally registering to them. His muscles practically glittered.

"Listen, I know you guys are Volturi and that I shouldn't have exposed myself to a human, but Harry's not going to tell anybody. Can't we just let this one go?"

Demetri looked like he was about to agree when Jane snapped, "Absolutely out of the question. If we let this go, everyone else is going to think that its okay and before we know it, people will be chasing us with stakes and setting up bonfires again." Her eyes softened. "I'm sorry, but we have to bring him into the council for questioning and then we'll decide what to do from there."

Harry sniffed. "I'm not going anywhere with you people."

Aro snarled, turning from his half-hearted conversation with Bert. "We don't care about what you want, human. You are coming with us; we have ways to make you talk."

"I somehow doubt that mere torture will be enough to make me spill the beans." Harry scoffed, crossing his arms with a cocky stance. His wand gleamed in one of his hands, though none of the Vampires knew what danger they were in.

Bert groaned in the background.

"Now, correct me if I am wrong, you five Vampires were sent to fetch one human to bring him back to your little cult gathering. The human, me, is now protesting and you have threatened to take me by force. But, as you can all see, I am still here, which proves to all and sundry that you are just a bunch of ineffective flunkies."

His eyes flared and Luna, who had been amusing herself by listening to the gurgling of her own insides, noticed that the picture frames were vibrating in their frames and the carpet was starting to unravel at the corners.

She bit her lip to keep her warning silent. They could find out the hard way what happened when you made Harry Potter angry. There was a reason that his health folders labeled him 'Extremely dangerous if provoked.'

"Nobody invited you and you obviously can't complete your mission, so just get out of my house." Harry snarled, sparks flickering off the ends of his hair.

In the background Hermione and Ron crept into the room, equipped with their wands. Aro began to wonder where all of these humans with sticks were coming from. He decided to ignore it for now, flexing his healed arm.

"I'm not leaving here without you, dead or alive." An idea occurred to him and he was across the room like a shot, standing with Luna held tightly in his arms. "And you will come with us now or I break her arm like your boy-toy did just a moment ago."

Every human present tensed and Ron began to creep forward behind Aro before Renata grabbed him in a head lock. His wand, jammed by her quick move, into her ribs, let off a Bludgeoning Jinx and suddenly everything happened at once.

Aro snapped Luna's arm, making her scream.

Every piece of glass in the house shattered in perfect time with Harry's roar of anger, Emmett's hands reaching in a futile grab to restrain him before he shot what looked like bolts of lighting out of his hands at Aro. The Vampire's eyes didn't even get a chance to register his fate before it struck.

They warped away from Luna, leaving her unharmed even as they turned the once-lauded leader into a pile of ashes.

Harry took several deep gasping breaths to steady himself, the carpet gradually stopping its unraveling.

Shocked silence was broken by the door bursting open, the crunch of boots on glass, and then a filthy blur topped with straggly blond hair fell upon the Boy-Who-Lived, a choked battle cry resonating throughout the house.

There was a wet sound and Harry gasped, grabbing the unknown person by the hair and pulling them off of him like a he was removing a leech.

It revealed his midriff in a bloody mess, an artery in his arm spurting blood from where it'd been slashed. The attacker was making garbled animal-like noises as it struggled against the hands of the Wizards not too incapacitated to help.

Emmett was about to rush over when he was bodily borne to the ground by Demetri, who was now, by chain of command, their temporary leader.

"Human!"

Harry looked over to see a stake pressed against Emmett's throat. "Hey-"

"Come with us or I kill him. Look into my eyes, human…you know I have killed before and I will do so again."

The blonde person cackled suddenly. "Good for you, blood-sucker. You've found Potter's weakness. He never could let another person suffer for his own sins."

Harry's neck cracked as he turned quick enough to get a good look at who had attacked him.

"_LUCIUS!"_

It wasn't in English, what he said. It was the single-most terrifying hissing sound that anybody in the room had ever heard. It would haunt their nightmares.

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End chapter 49

I know it's been forever, but it's extra-long and to be fair, I wasn't even home. Cheers!


	50. Chapter 50

A/N: *cheers* hooray for chapter 50! And tons of reviews too…I'm frankly stunned at how much love this story has gotten.

CHAPTER 50~

Lucius wanted to cower but he raised his knobby chin in false defiance instead. Years spent alternatively as the Dark Lord's trusted money bank and punching bag had desensitized him to the more fearsome aspects of magical temper tantrums.

"Are you surprised, Muggle-loving rat?" a rasping cough shook him head to toe and he crumbled a little, clutching at his throat. Regaining control of himself, he sneered at him like the dirt he was. "It takes a lot more than power-mad children to take down a Malfoy."

He raised his razors before Potter could do anything else and made a wild slash at his face, managing to catch his left cheek and _dig-_

Blood streaked, but it was accompanied by a disturbing flash of multi-colored light, which spilled rapidly out of the broken skin, filling the room and making the fine hairs on everyone's skin crackle and set fire.

"You would dare!" Harry very nearly howled, his hands seizing Lucius by the neck and starting to squeeze, bearing the frail body wracked for so long with disease to the ground. They tussled, Lucius managing to cut Harry's ear nearly in half and Harry landing a nice hit to the Death Eater's ribs that cracked at least four of them.

In the background Ron was placing protective charms carefully around Luna's broken arm so it wouldn't get jostled and further damaged while gently pressing on her stomach and asking her a series of softly-pitched questions about how she was feeling in certain areas. Tears were tracking down her cheeks, glittering in the lamplight and making her plight all the more heartbreaking.

There was a sudden animalistic sound and the sick squelching sound of someone's insides being exposed to the outside air sent shivers down everyone's spines, Luna actually wincing. All eyes turned to see Emmett standing triumphantly over Demetri's prone body, the stake thrust through the Vampire's heart and pinning him to the ground.

A messy handful of previously-immortal entrails slithered out of his hands like a mess of worms.

Luna dry-heaved, covering her mouth with her good hand to dry and hold back the vomit. She failed in her mission and unfortunately emptied her stomach all over Ron's shoulder. He didn't react other than soothingly rubbing her back and whispering in reply to her hoarse apologies that it was okay.

The three remaining vampires were silent, stunned to know that two of their powerful members had been disposed of like they were, well, nothing but humans.

"Now look, we didn't mean to have this go so far downhill-" Janes's attempt at peace-making was halted rather suddenly by a blur slamming into her. The crunch of a skull being crushed, and followed by a wet ripping sound as it was torn off made Luna throw up again.

The blur stood, revealing its identity to be that of Bysshe, and he seized a hold of Alec and was about to repeat the process when he shrieked for him to stop. He bared his fangs and asked in a voice thick with what sounded like blood, "What do you have to say?"

Alec blinked.

Hermione looked at Ron, who shrugged the shoulder Luna hadn't anointed with vomit.

"You're wasting my time." Bysshe was about to go back to ripping his head off when Alec spoke up.

"You mean that nothing happened?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Bysshe took one hand off of Alec to deliver a swift uppercut to Renata's jaw before she could grab him. She had thought that he was distracted enough to not notice her sneaking up on him.

Emmett incapacitated her while Bysshe finished his conversation with Alec. Lucius tried to twist out of Harry's grip but the Wizard kept a tight grip on his throat, scrabbling with his free hand for one of the razors the Death Eater had been carelessly tossing around in an attempt to kill him.

"Your senses should be unresponsive…it's my specialty."

"Then I guess your specialty is broken, punk."

And with that, Alec was no more.

Harry finally got a grip on a razor, not that it mattered much because his skin was pulsing with something no magical being had seen before, distorting his image and making him look like he was possessed of an extra dimension.

The carpet had long ago turned to nothing but rags and everyone was feeling a little singed (and nervous), so they were expecting Harry to start calming down soon. No such luck.

Using the razor, with Emmett hovering close to his side and holding both of Lucius' hands in a one-handed grip for him, Harry slashed a trio of cuts across the Pureblood's throat. It never hurt one to be absolutely thorough, after all.

Hermione released a breath, smiling at Bert who had his foot planted on Renata's back to hold her in place. Everyone started calming down, believing that now everything was over.

And then, as the light faded from Lucius' eyes and his gurgles trailed off, the room imploded. Ron screamed, shielding Luna's body with his own and also reaching out blindly for Hermione, praying that she wasn't hurt.

The house collapsed around their heads, toppling over and the walls exploding into nothing but chunks of plaster and rotting splinters of wood. Their belongings were miraculously spared and protective shields glowed around the bodies of the living, protecting them from certain death via shrapnel.

The dust didn't settle for a few minutes longer, but when it did, Renata somehow knew that the house wasn't the only thing that had exploded.

Miles and miles away, the secret headquarters of the Volturi and everything within them was no more, little more than a bloody smear on Volterra, all of their much-lauded immortal glory reduced to the arrogant garbage it was.

They'd forgotten in their old age that, no matter how strong or smart you are, there's always someone stronger.

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Renata was tied to a tree with Emmett and Bysshe on either side of her, their fangs bared and tensed to grab her if she tried anything. Since she wasn't nearly as stupid as Aro had been, she knew damn well that one false move would mean her death. Looking inside herself, she discovered that she wasn't going to miss her boss very much. Did that make her a bad person?

She'd thought that these were just normal humans who knew a little more than they should when the mission had commenced, but now she knew better. These were no ordinary people. They moved and fought like warriors, like lions, and their eyes were dark and bitter with memory of fights similar to this one in their pasts.

A shudder passed through her at the thought and she closed her eyes, biting her lip. Whatever these people wanted from her, she was going to give it.

Out of breath and bleeding copiously through the tight scraps of fabric wrapped around his stomach in an attempt to hold him together with blood trickling down the side of his neck from where his ear had been shredded, Harry stood tall, a forbidding look in his steady eyes.

"Who told you about me?"

"Some guy, barely a kid by Vampire standards." Renata answered instantly.

He rolled his eyes. "Do you know this guy's name or at least what he looked like?"

She thought hard, fighting to remember the details. To tell the truth, she hadn't been paying very much attention when he'd come to their coven to whine about a nosy human and was regretting that now. "Um, bronze hair…on the tall side…"

A low growl left Emmett's throat and the bark on the side of the tree he was gripping crumpled like paper beneath his hands, his nails leaving deep gouges in the trunk.

"What is it?" Harry asked, threatening expression dropping as he turned to his boyfriend.

"Edward."

"Oh shit…probably." Harry agreed, lining up the pieces. "Hey, did this guy look kind of like a sulking pretty boy?"

"Yeah, that's the one!"

Emmett swore. "I can't believe this! I can't believe he would betray us like this…I knew he wasn't happy about you, but this is too much. I can't understand why he would do this…"

"Me neither." Harry had the blackest look on his face any of them had seen yet short of the snarl he'd worn when he recognized Lucius Malfoy. Some of the wreckage just behind them, in which It was cheerfully munching on the bloody corpse of Jane, some of the splinters began to swirl in a dusty cone shape. "Let's go get him."

"Uh, Harry, babes, that might not be such a good idea…" Hermione attempted to soothe him, sending Ron (with his arms full of Luna) a frightened look. There was no stopping Harry once he fully went into one of his rampages and this was their last chance to prevent him from doing something regrettable.

Just as she thought she was getting through to him, his tense shoulders slowly relaxing, Neville pulled up in the car, finally returning from his trip to the grocery store. He slowly exited the vehicle, staring at the flattened house open-mouthed.

"What the fuck happened?!"

Harry went stiff as a bowstring, jaw clenched. "Edward. And right now, we're going to take the car and pay him a little _visit."_

From the inflection in his voice as he said the word 'visit', they knew that it wouldn't be the sort of visit that involved friendly chit-chat and tea cake. Bert sighed and led the way to the car.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked, moving in the same direction with everyone else trailing, Emmett with Renata over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes.

"To expand the car so we can all fit comfortably, of course. Unless you'd like to do the honors, wild man?"

"No…" Harry sulked, waiting with folded arms as the older Wizard adjusted the interior of the car with Hermione's assistance. Emmett laid his free palm on Harry's shoulder, massaging it with his thumb.

He leaned against his side, nuzzling Emmett's shirt and inhaling the good healthy scent of him. It made him feel more grounded, like he wasn't just tethered to his body and floating on a cloud of raw feelings and undiluted magic that'd been building for months slowly and ponderously.

"We're ready to go. Oh, and Harry?"

"Hm?" He mumbled, lips lazily pressing a sloppy kiss to Emmett's neck. He wasn't feeling nearly as aggressive anymore, even though the magic he'd unwittingly aroused was roaring in his ears and wiggling just under his skin, making his fingernails itch to tear something's eyeballs out.

"I'm driving. You're not in your right mind right now."

"Hey! Yes I damn well am!"

Bert just dryly considered him and Harry blushed, realizing how much like a little child he'd just sounded. "Fine, whatever; I don't care anymore as long as we get there."

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The drive, although it had never seemed overly long before, seemed to go on forever, the rain that'd finally decided to pelt them forcing Bert to actually drive the speed limit for once.

Harry, sitting in the back of the car with Emmett, slowly tore through the upholstery of the car with his nails, speaking in a low voice with Bysshe, who was restraining a docile Renata at the moment.

"So are there any laws against me killing Edward that I couldn't get around with the usual bullshit accounts of self-defense?"

Bysshe grinned. "Nope. It helps that these are the Muggle kind, considered by the stuffy ignorants running the Wizarding world to be invalid as threats in the first place. You can do whatever you want."

"Not that you're going to." Hermione nervously spoke up from Ron's side in the front row, craning her neck to give him a pleading look. "Right, Harry? You have enough guilt- don't damage yourself or other people when you don't have to. Isn't Lucius enough for today?"

He looked a little guilty and her eyes widened.

"Oh Harry, what did you do?"

"Well, I might have kind of…sort of…" He mumbled something and she frowned.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that. What did you do?"

"I blew up their comrades!"

Bert, all the way in the front seat with Luna in shotgun and cleaned of her vomit, choked and the car swerved.

"What?! How is that even possible?"

Neville reached forward and steadied the wheel with one strong grip, giving Luna an apologetic look for squashing her against the window a little. She just smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Not to sound cheesy or anything, Bert, but this is _me. _What's considered possible or impossible doesn't always apply to me." He looked almost sheepish now, curled up against Emmett, who was gaping into space, trying to wrap his mind around what Harry was apparently famous for.

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End chapter 50


	51. Chapter 51

A/N: the original chapters 49 and 50 have now been re-uploaded with some major typos fixed [I switched some names by accident while writing it].

CHAPTER 51~

Esme looked up from polishing the family's silver collection with a puzzled frown, meeting Alice's eyes a second later and silently asking her if she'd known anything about this.

Alice just shrugged, looking as dumbfounded as she did. As one, they stood, Esme switching off the news and dropping the remote on the table with a loud clatter. Jasper blurred down the stairs, skidding to a delayed stop just in front of them, his socks not giving him a lot of purchase on the slippery wood flooring.

"What happened?" He asked before they could say anything, moving his wide eyes from one face to the other. Behind him, moving far more slowly and without the possibility of sliding uncontrollably, Rosalie descended the same stairs, a half-empty box of sugar cubes dangling from one hand. Judging from the self-satisfied look on her face, their model of Tokyo using the cubes was coming along nicely.

"I smell a lot of humans in a car with Emmett, maybe a block away at the most. Did he say anything to you about bringing people over to visit?"

Jasper shook his head, so Esme turned her attention to her blonde daughter. "And you?"

"Not a word. I thought he was spending the whole Easter weekend at their place…he said something about Harry being on edge and wanted to be there to keep him calm." She tilted her head. "Although bringing them here is kind of a nice surprise all-in-all. I've wanted to finish my discussion with Ron for quite some time now."

A sharp gasp drew their attention to Alice, who was stiff and still, eyes dilated. "There's something inside one of them…Harry…"

Jasper was instantly by her side, bracing her with a hand on her shoulder and another wrapped around her waist. She swayed slightly, leaning against him. "Edward's done something very wrong and now Harry wants to…no, not Harry, the thing inside of him wants to-"

She gasped again, gripping Esme's offered hand tightly.

"Mother, go find Edward _now; _he's done something very wrong, something we can't ignore."

"What has he done?" For the first time in years, Esme felt truly frightened. She fought not to show it, but judging by the foreign soft feeling that engulfed her, washing away the negative emotion, Jasper had noticed right away. She smiled gratefully and then darted upstairs after Rosalie, who'd jumped into action the second Alice spoke up.

Catching up to her on the third floor, she reached his bedroom first, hearing the faint strains of music that indicated that he had his headphones on. She paused just outside his bedroom door, taking a fortifying moment to get some clarity of thought, and then turned the knob.

He looked up from a cell phone he was repairing, opening his mouth to ask what was going on when Rosalie pounded.

Bearing his body to the ground, she sat on his stomach and pinned his arms above his head, twisting the bones until he winced. Jasper came in a few moments later, just as Edward was starting to get really flustered, and grabbed his legs, straddling one while Alice floated in and took the other one.

Left without a limb to restrain, Esme crossed her arms.

"Edward, I don't know what you did, but I do know that it was naughty. Do you have anything you'd like to confess?"

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Harry slammed the car door and was half-way up the steps to the Cullen's house before Bert even put the car into park.

"Harry! Wait!" Hermione yelled, fumbling with her seatbelt a second before crawling over Ron to dash up the stairs to where Harry was impatiently pulling his hair back with a rubber band, hands shaking with anticipation.

"Come one, let's not give him a chance to get away." Harry growled, gesturing for everyone else to hurry up while simultaneously pressing solidly on their doorbell. He was about to start knocking when the door swung open, his fist directly level with Alice's face.

She dodged to the side, giggling.

"Whoopsies! I guess I should have seen that one coming." She received blank looks from everyone but Emmett, who covered his eyes and groaned. Shrugging it off, she stood to the side, gesturing them inside.

"I take it that you guys are here to take care of Edward?"

Hermione choked. "How did you-"

"I'm sort of psychic, in a way. Don't ask me why. Oh, and Edward is in his room on the third floor. Mother and my siblings are holding him down, trying to get him to confess." She came close to Harry and Emmett, laying a hand on each of their forearms. "I'm so sorry."

Emmett nodded, Harry doing the same but with far less focus. His eyes were fixated on the glimpse of stairs he could catch, and the moment her hand left his arm he was headed for them, moving through their house as easily as if it were his own despite the scarcity of times that he'd visited it. Emmett trekked after him, scooping Harry up and carrying him as fast as he safely could up the stairs. He had a nasty feeling that having his power-tripping boyfriend deprived of an actual target for too long wouldn't bode well for the rest of them, no matter how much Harry cared about them.

Hermione followed close on his heels, Ron shadowing her.

Since she was still feeling quite weak from the vomiting she'd done earlier, not to mention injured, Luna sank into the nearest couch. Bert chose to remain behind with her, wrapping an arm around her uninjured side and making stupid chitchat to keep her calm. Too much stress in her state was known to be decidedly debilitating to the child's development and health, so he was doing what he normally did to people in shock.

Alice had gone to fetch them botj some water, and when she returned she sat in a chair across from them instead of sitting beside Luna's injury lest she jostle it. She crossed her legs primly and surveyed her guests, noting the way that Bert quietly soothed the blonde, even going so far as to gently rub her bulging middle with his fingers.

Smiling a secretive smile, she perused them silently before opening her mouth. "You two will make such an adorable couple."

Bert choked on the water she'd brought him.

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Harry paused in the doorway of the room that he was going to assume belonged to Edward, judging from the Vampire himself pinned to the ground by Esme, Rosalie, and Jasper.

"So…do you have any way of explaining yourself?" He asked, folding his arms.

Edward craned his head to see him and his eyelids reddened. He turned stubbornly away without answering Harry's question; Esme smacked his head for that, looking furious.

"Edward, you will stop this childish behavior right this minute or I will do something that I'm going to regret doing without your father here."

He snorted and Harry thought that he'd never heard a more arrogant noise in his life. "Yeah, right. Admit it, Esme, you don't have the guts to do it. You'll just look all disappointed and maybe not speak to me for a couple of days, but you won't really _do _anything."

This earned him another slap from her, and Harry could tell that Jasper and Rosalie had twisted his limbs a little bit, just enough to be uncomfortable.

Harry made a show of looking around Edward's room, moving into the room itself to pick up a few CDs before setting them back down. He made a full circuit of the room, seeing everything that it had to offer before coming to a stop just in front of Edward's head, directly in the Vampire's line of sight.

In his hands he held the mix tape that he'd made for Bella and then cruelly taken back. He knew it was the right one because she'd described what it looked to him a few days back when he'd asked her out of the blue.

"Since you're obviously too stubborn to know an easy way when it's offered to you, we'll have to do this the hard way." He took the CD out of its case and broke it in half, dropping the pieces on Edward's face.

He squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head to the side, the pieces of crumpled plastic landing on his neck. Reaching without looking for the nearest rack of CDs, he repeated the process with some Bach, then Chopin, and many others. For several tense, silent minutes, he did nothing but destroy the rack of CDs, always dropping the plastic remnants onto the Vampire's face.

Finally, unable to keep silent any longer while Harry carelessly destroyed his possessions, Edward cried, "Why are you doing this?"

Harry raised an eyebrow, his hair shifting like smoke in an invisible wind. The CDs began rattling faintly in their cases, tiny cracks even appearing in the corners of his windowpanes.

"You mean that you don't know?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I did! You're obviously crazy; mom, this kid is crazy and he's wrecking my stuff! Make him stop!"

Harry just shook his head. "You might be older than me, but you are the most childish hundred-year-old I have ever met. I am destroying your precious CDs because you drove away any people that might have cared about you. If you had a special someone, I'd be hurting them."

Edward spluttered. "B-but why? If you have a problem, you should take it up with me!"

"And what good would that do? None, obviously. I think that this approach is much more satisfying…for now. I can always try to strike you with lightning"

A heavy silence descended and Emmett shifted his weight, deciding that now was a good time to leave the doorway and actually come into his brother's room. "Harry-"

"We can talk about this later, Emmett. Right now, I am destroying your brother's stuff." A gleeful note filtered into the end of his comment, and he waltzed over to Edward's book collection. With a wave of his hand, they dissolved into smoke, bits of burnt paper floating in the air. He turned back to Edward to watch his reaction. "Should I stop, Edward? Are you ready to tell your family what you did to betray them, to hurt them? It wasn't even for a good reason, was it? You were just feeling selfish and maybe a little less special now that Emmett found some real happiness in his life."

Esme looked at Edward, hurt in her eyes. "What did you do, Edward? What is he talking about?"

For the first time, Edward actually looked ashamed. It quickly faded, however, followed by self-righteousness. "I didn't do anything wrong! Harry is a danger to our coven! I did the right thing!"

The window shattered, the magic roused in Harry fighting for something to hit, something to hurt. He decided to stop fighting it, causing one of Edward's arms to promptly burn into nothing but a tidy heap of ashes while the Vampire screamed and bucked.

"Why do you feel the need to justify yourself if what you did was right, Edward? If you really 'did the right thing', then why do you feel so confused?" Harry challenged, looking him dead in the eye. "I will continue to burn you until you confess to your mother. We both know that she won't stop me- at least she can acknowledge that this is what you deserve, even if you won't tell her why."

Jasper slowly let go of Edward's legs, knowing that Rosalie could handle him by herself. Standing, he went over to Emmett and whispered, "What's going on with Harry? It's like there are multiple sources of emotion in him fighting each other."

Emmett just shrugged. "I don't know, man, but I do know that it's best to just let harry do his thing. He might be sixteen, but he knows what he's doing."

Jasper nodded and turned to watch Harry dissolve Edward's other arm. They winced together before straightening. The sound of Carlisle's car pulling into the driveway had reached their ears.

"Okay, fine!" Edward whimpered, his body completely limp in Rosalie's tighter-than-necessary hold. She smirked at him, mouthing 'wimp'.

"Well?" Harry prompted, his magic lazily demolishing everything in sight, including the rug beneath their feet.

He avoided eye-contact with everyone as he rattled off, "I told the Volturi about Harry, about him knowing about Vampires before he met us, and the Volturi obviously came to collect him."

"And kill us all." Emmett added, furious all over again.

"At the time, I didn't notice that detail." Edward protested weakly.

Rosalie and Esme both bared their fangs. "Minor? _Having us all killed because of your pettiness is fucking minor to you?!" _

Harry was somehow sure that human ears were never meant to hear the pitch Esme's voice had risen to.

"What kind of person _are _you? Some kind of monster? It's unbelievable that you can live with yourself right now!"

"I can kill him if you want…" Harry offered far too casually.

Esme took a deep breath, shaking her head. "Not right now, thank you, dear. We are going to wait for my husband to get up here and then we shall discuss the situation before deciding what we're going to do about it."

She stood, as graceful as ever, and Jasper followed her out of the room, wrapping an arm around her and letting her lean her head against his shoulder while he calmed her down.

Alone in the room with an armless Edward, Rosalie, and his boyfriend, Harry grinned.

"You are _so _fucked. Don't you dare think for one minute that anything you do will stop me from killing you eventually. Even if I have to wait until I'm an old man, one day I will kill you for trying to sabotage my life and my relationship with Emmett."

Emmett felt a swell of adoration, blushing scarlet around the eyes when Jasper peeked into the room long enough to teasingly grin at him. After all, what are brothers for?

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End chapter 51

Sorry for missing a day, and for the days I will miss in the future because I have family coming into town.


	52. Chapter 52

CHAPTER 52

Outside, sitting in the car, Bysshe pulled out two items from the inside of his trench coat. He offered the pack of cigarettes to his captive, who nodded and waited until he'd lit one before opening her mouth so he could give it to her.

"You've been behaving yourself, Miss, so I could untie you if you want…?" Bysshe offered, lighting his second cigarette and replacing the pack in the secret compartment of his coat where he kept them hidden from any of the numerous teenagers he knew who might try to nick them.

Renata shrugged, taking a puff of the cigarette and letting him hold it a second while she spoke, "It's up to you. I'm kind of out of it right now…I mean, everything happened so quickly. I don't know what I'm going to do or where to go."

He nodded sympathetically. "I remember when my first coven fell apart- I'd never felt so alienated. I was younger than you are at the time, though."

"What happened, if you don't mind my asking?"

"I don't mind; it happened a long, long time ago." He reached over and began to untie her while taking pauses to drag at his nicotine stick. "We were all pretty young and fresh except for our leader, the one who'd turned us. We admired him a lot since he was a talented hunter of anything from the wilder dark creatures to skilled human warriors, and he taught us all a lot. He had this woman, though. She wasn't his wife, but they were messing around anyway. She was very beautiful, with long red hair and the biggest blue eyes you've ever seen, and you could tell that she knew it, especially since he liked to show her off every chance he got to the other covens we encountered. We assumed that they were faithful to each other because she was always real possessive of him, and him of her."

He tossed the ropes into a bundle and tucked them under his seat, leaning back and watching Renata absently rub at her hands even though no circulation could have been lost.

"Either way, everything was fine for maybe half a century, but then she started looking angry all the time and she got real short with him when he tried to talk to her. We didn't know what was going on, but since he kept bringing her gifts and stuff we thought that she was the one being a bitch." He snorted. "We were wrong. Somehow it got out, I don't remember how, but either way we found out that he was sleeping around with all of the girls in the coven. They'd all thought that they were the only one, next in line to be his wife once he got rid of his redhead."

"So…what happened then?"

Bysshe blew out some smoke, opening a window to let the smoke gathering near the roof of the car out.

"What do you think happened? She ripped his head off with her bare hands and ate his heart. My guess is that she walked in on him once and he told her that that was the only time. Well, anyway, we all went our separate ways. Some of the others banded together to form smaller groups, but I just went solitary for a while."

She smiled mournfully. "I'm not sure I want to be alone if you guys let me go, but it seems to be working okay for you."

Bysshe opened up the second item from his coat, which was a pack of cards. He started dividing them into two even piles without looking at the faces, preparing for a simple game of 'war' since he didn't feel like using too much effort. "I'm not moving solo anymore. I got picked up a couple hundred years after that fiasco by a woman named Helen Winner. We're not a kissing-close coven like the Cullens, but we do stand by and up for each other in a pinch. It helps that we all like to travel and just generally move around."

"Oh…" She looked down, but he could tell that she had something she wanted to ask.

"Go on, shoot." He gestured, "What were you going to ask me?"

"If I wanted to, you know, join your coven, what would I need to do to make that happen?"

He frowned, thinking. "I don't really know. We haven't had anybody new join in a long while, but from what I remember, it's been different for each member. I can talk to Helen about it, since I think you're a good person and we need someone genuinely nice in our nest of vipers, but I can't promise anything. You're a girl- you know how fickle you can be."

Renata laughed, tossing a card at him. "Bastard."

"Hey now! I'm still doing you a big favor, missy. Some gratitude might be nice every once in a while. Oh, you lose that one." He pointed out, indicating her '5' card had lost rather badly to his queen.

"Dammit…" She grumbled, shuffling through her hand of cards for the first time, noticing that she'd somehow ended up with one measly knave as royalty. "You cheater! You gave me all the puny cards!"

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When Carlisle exited his car, finishing a phone call with a colleague, he took in the extra car in his driveway, the interior of which contained the residue of his son, quite a lot of humans, and two foreign Vampires.

He came closer, placing a soothing smile on his face. Knocking on the window, he caught a strong whiff of nicotine smoke, apparently filtering out of a window on the other side of the vehicle.

"Excuse me, but you seem to be parked in my driveway. Can I be of assistance to you somehow?" He asked, looking from the man he might have seen somewhere before and the woman who seemed to have been given a particularly unfortunate hand of cards.

The man took a drag of his cigarette and stubbed it out on the heel of his shoe before replying. "Sorry about the 'being on your property' part, love, but we've got some friends inside negotiating with your son, Edward. We'll leave when they do…oh, and I believe they need your opinion on something important."

"I…see." Carlisle nodded, hesitantly leaving the two Vampires that he could sense were rather on the older side behind and ascending the steps.

Opening the door revealed Alice and two humans in the sitting room, and in the living room beyond that he could sense his wife and Jasper with the addition of three more humans. He frowned. What was going on?

"Hello, father!" Alice chirped, hopping to her feet and hugging him tightly as was her customary habit. He returned the affection, allowing himself to smile despite his confusion.

"Hello to you too, Alice. I see that we have guests…?"

"Yes. Lots of them, actually; we have Harry, four of Harry's school friends who tagged along to help, and Harry's guardian, Bert."

Bert raised a hand, smiling. "It's nice to meet the leader of this lovely coven. Your family, with one exception, is beautifully raised."

"Really? And who would this exception be?" Carlisle wouldn't admit it even under torture, but he had a feeling that he knew who it was. He wanted to groan, knowing that this would happen eventually. He'd been hoping that it wouldn't be quite so soon, though.

"Edward, I believe. But it's not my place to spill the beans, so I respectfully turn you over to your lovely wife. I believe that she and several others are waiting to explain the situation to you in the next room."

Carlisle nodded, thanked them, and went to the living room, Alice in tow.

Luna, now asleep, snuggled deeper into his side, making little wheezing noises from some nose blockages.

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Entering the living room, the first thing he saw was his wife sitting with her mouth set in a firm line, legs crossed and arms folded. Beside her was Jasper, rather obviously emanating positive and soothing energy to lower the possibility of this meeting becoming explosive.

Taking his seat on her other side, he found himself facing a trio of young people, two men and a woman, who he recognized from pictures Emmett had shown them. "You must be Ron, Hermione, and Neville?"

"That's correct. I find it unfortunate that we could not meet properly under better circumstances, but I guess this is the way it has to be." Hermione answered, squeezing Ron's hand.

"So, what, exactly, is the problem or situation?"

"We are all aware that Edward's relationship and endeavors to re-create it have entered the realm of abuse. We had chosen to forgive that, believing him to be under the influence of his infatuation with her, but he has gone much too far." Esme said in a soft, firm voice.

"What has he done?" Carlisle asked, putting his arm around her.

"He betrayed us to the Volturi." Neville snapped, speaking for the first time. "Harry has eradicated their existence out of self-defense minus one, who is in our vehicle with a Vampire friend of ours who can prevent her from escaping."

Carlisle gaped, forgetting himself. "Why would he do something like that?"

Hermione shrugged. "Perhaps you misjudged his character, or he's changed. All we know is that his motives were out of selfishness and a desire to see Emmett's relationship with Harry ruined."

"Again, why? Has Harry attacked him without cause or provocation?"

"No, but Edward has attacked him. We are not going to tell you what to do about your son's behavior, but do not try to stop us from enacting revenge if he is outside of your protection."

"Revenge of what kind?"

"Death, of course. Harry and our friend Luna, who is _pregnant, _were both severely injured in the altercation with the Volturi, which was a direct result of your son's betrayal. We don't let things like that go."

"I understand completely, and I apologize on behalf of my son. Is he here?"

"Yes. He's upstairs with Rosalie and Emmett making sure that he doesn't go anywhere…and Harry is there as well." Esme replied, hesitating a little when she thought of Harry. That poor boy had been through so much that he didn't need this kind of pressure and stress, especially if it aggravated his magic whatever.

"And we are meeting down here to decide how to punish him?"

"Yes, my dear." Esme touched his arm after unfolding her own, eyes large and sad. "The young people have already suggested banishment, which Jasper and I are in favor of since Edward's nature has obviously become detrimental to all of us, but we wanted to get your opinion before asking anyone else."

Carlisle chewed the inside of his mouth. Edward was his son…he'd loved him, still loved him, and expected great things for and from him. How could Edward betray not only their physical livelihood but the love they'd given him as well?

His mood darkened. There really wasn't any other option.

"I agree. Edward should be expelled from our coven."

"Then we can go and ask Alice what she thinks, and then ask those upstairs."

They rose from their seats, Hermione stretching her arms above her head and getting a playful tickle against her ribs from Neville. She smiled lazily at him, hugging his arm briefly before letting go so they could start heading upstairs while the Cullens discussed matters amongst their own. They deserved some privacy, after all.

On the third floor they found Emmett and Harry sitting on the floor of the hallway, obviously leaving Edward in the loving hands of Rosalie, having some alone time.

Ron cleared his throat, getting a startled gasp and much embarrassed fumbling from the interrupted couple.

"Hey guys! I'm guessing that Carlisle is here now?"

"Yeah- he votes that Eddie here get banished." Neville supplied, grinning at him. "Did you two kids have fun?"

"Oh, shut up Neville. It was that or I'd have blown up their house too. The good news is that I'm not in too much danger of killing Edward against my higher moral will."

"Right. That's good, very good." Hermione nodded vigorously, getting funny looks from her male friends. "What? It is!"

"There's no need to look so relieved." Harry pretended to sulk, leaning against his boyfriend's broad chest and looking happier than he had since the Volturi ambushed them.

"Who wants to get out of here and have some lunch as soon as Emmett gives his vote?" Ron suggested, getting snide comments from his friends about always thinking with his stomach.

00000000

End chapter 52


	53. Chapter 53

A/N: Sorry this took so long, but I only had time to write a snippet here and a snippet there.

CHAPTER 53

Carlisle came up the stairs, for once looking his age. Sighing wearily, he leaned against the wall across from the group of teenagers sitting on the floor. Neville, the first to notice him, nodded with a sympathetic look on his face that easily conveyed that the hope for Emmett wanting Edward to stay was non-existent.

He crossed his arms and Emmett and Harry both stood in a gesture of respect for what he was about to ask.

"Well, Emmett? What's your opinion on this?"

"Banishment, of course; I can't stay in the same coven as someone who tried to take Harry away." Harry moved closer to him after hearing that, nuzzling his shoulder. "If the majority votes for Edward to stay, I'm sorry, but I will have to leave."

Carlisle groaned quietly. "Emmett, please-"

"I'm sorry, but that's the way I stand on this issue."

"I understand. I'm going to go ask Rosalie and then we'll know."

Emmett nodded. "That's fine by me. Is it alright if I go out with them? They want to get some food and I'd like to get out of the house for a bit."

"Yeah, that's alright. We'll tell you when you get back."

The group struggled to their feet and started heading downstairs, Harry separating from Emmett's shoulder in the interest of moving down the steps. He accidentally stepped on Hermione's heel and apologized, getting a quick smile of forgiveness from her over her shoulder.

Rejoining Bert in the living room, Ron and Hermione cooed over the sleeping Luna, who mumbled something about flying pineapples in her sleep.

"Do you guys want to come with us or want something brought back instead?"

Bert thought about it and then shrugged the side of his body not weighted down by Luna's sleep-heavy body. "Just get me a sandwich, and get her several." He then remembered Hermione's firm talk that she'd had with him about the importance of Luna getting enough enzymes. "Oh, and some fruit, too!"

"Consider it done, sir!" Harry saluted with a goofy smile, the after-trauma endorphin rush hitting him with the force of an oncoming bus and even forcing him to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from giggling like a girl. He flounced out the door with his arm tucked through Emmett's to the sound of Hermione actually giving in to the giggling, also suffering from the effects.

"So what are you hungry for?" Harry asked his boyfriend brightly, utterly forgetting that Emmett didn't eat food.

But to the supreme and unimaginable shock of everyone present, Emmett's stomach did, indeed, growl. His eyes went wide as saucers, no sign of the tell-tale bloodlust in them.

"Actually…" He said slowly, "I could go for a whole horse."

Before anyone could say anything else, Bysshe rolled down another car window and yelled, "Hey! Are you kids going to move your asses before the next ice age or should me and the lady just leave you here to rot?"

"Oi!" Ron yelled, dashing with Neville to the car and climbing inside before he could roll the car all the way down the driveway, Hermione behind them. The pair of Vampires moved to the driver's seat and shotgun, leaving the front row to Harry and his boyfriend.

"Where to?"

"The closest place that sells sandwiches- Bert and Luna want some." Harry answered, rolling down yet another window and reaching into his pocket for his cigarettes. It was empty. "What the hell? Bysshe!"

"Yeah, sweetheart?" He blew nicotine smoke out of his own window, eyes half-lidded, the scarlet color dark and simmering pleasantly. He met Harry's eyes in the mirror.

"You nicked my cigarettes, didn't you?"

Bysshe coughed and kept driving, looking away from the mirror guiltily.

"Dammit, Bysshe, now I _know _it was you. I can let this one go, hell you can keep the whole pack, but just give me a couple! I need some so badly."

Hermione pursed her lips in the back, and then spoke, "Can I have one as well? Please? I left mine at home…or what's left of it."

Bysshe groaned and turned to Renata, jerking a thumb at his coat. "Do you mind digging them out, love? I need to feed my children before they eat me alive."

She smiled and set to work, removing first the cards and then his stolen packet of Camels.

"We wouldn't eat you even if you were the last thing available in a famine." Hermione said when Harry passed her the sticks. "You're too old and stringy like an elderly rooster to do anybody any good."

"You're lucky that you chose to insult me after you've robbed me." Bysshe sulked, swerving to avoid a pothole. "Or else you'd be sitting there shaking like a junkie."

"Shut up before I throw my shoe at you!" Hermione removed her slipper (she was still dressed in a plain skirt and one of Ron's sweaters in addition to thick socks and a pair of bed slippers).

"I'm terrified! That ball of cheap plastic grip and soft fluff is the most dangerous thing I have ever been threatened with!" Bysshe teased, turning briefly to grin cheekily. She threw the slipper and it moved too quickly for him to dodge, smacking him in the face.

"I'm trying to drive, you psychotic-"

"Don't finish that sentence." Ron suddenly snapped, looking angry. Hermione swallowed and put a hand on his arm. Ron always did have strong emotional reactions to danger, and he obviously hadn't gotten the adrenaline out of his system just yet.

"Guys, we're going to eat at that one diner in Forks that Bella likes, yeah?"

"That was pretty much the plan, yes." Harry confirmed, distractedly massaging Emmett's forearm. It felt warmer than it normally did after absorbing his heat, like it could heat itself now.

"In that case, Bysshe, please pull over."

There was a moment where he looked at her incredulously and then seemed to realize that it was none of his business, pulling over carefully while looking both ways for oncoming traffic. Around them, the stillness of nature settled, even though wind was making the trees rustle.

"C'mon, Ron; we're going to walk and meet them there."

She took his hand, leading him out of the car and onto the shoulder of the road. He kicked at the asphalt with his sneakers, looking around them with a face like a thundercloud.

"Thanks! See you there!"

"…Right." Bysshe nodded uncertainly and put the car into 'drive'. Who was he to stand in her way? If being a member of Helen's coven had taught him one teensy little thing, it was that standing in the way of a woman when she had a particular gleam in her eye was a very, very foolish thing to do.

000000

Bella's truck vibrated comfortingly around her, and she hummed along with the radio, in a spectacularly good mood. She wasn't sure why, but when she'd awakened that morning, she felt overwhelmingly as if huge clouds in her life had simply blown away overnight.

The house that slept so many strange people came into view…

Well, what was left of it did, anyway.

"Oh my god! What the…what the fuck?!" She parked the car, exited it while leaving the engine running in case she had to get away in a hurry, and ventured bravely to see if she could figure out what'd happened.

There was no sign of a fire or any kind of explosives, but the house was still as flat as if it'd been stepped on by someone with a really big foot. Carefully advancing across the clearest sections of floor, happy that she was wearing galoshes with thick rubber grips instead of her cheap sneakers for once, she made her way to what had once been the living room.

Standing in the center, she looked all around her in every direction and deduced that whatever had squashed the house had originated from this room because there was a clear circle of floor with the mess steadily built up around in. And there were some funny-looking brown patches of what looked like dried liquid of some kind interspersed with the furniture, sometimes with the larger blotch having a smaller counterpart close by.

She frowned. Maybe, this mess was because of one of those 'magical accidents' that Hermione had told her about? Looking beyond the house, she spied their trunks that no doubt contained their important possessions lined up neatly under what was left of the rhododendrons.

Shaking her head, she retraced her steps back out of the house, stumbling on the steps at the last minute.

Her foot fell through a shredded floorboard, and something pierced her ankle. Whimpering in pain, she slowly lowered her body into a sitting posture. It'd happened so _fast! _

Reaching over, she delicately starting brushing aside the debris that had blinded her with the flat of her hand, tears of pain starting to blur her vision; now that she had it cleared, she could see that her foot was twisted slightly and that it was bleeding slowly.

Why was she so stupid? Of course she was going to hurt herself, somehow! Not only was she clumsy, the house was a goldmine of opportunity for accidents. Sobbing now, and feeling very pathetic, she tugged fitfully at the thoroughly-nailed floorboard trapping her.

The rumble of her truck's engine eventually soothed her, and she began wondering why in the hell she would leave her cell phone at home on today of all days. Did she do something particularly mean lately or in a past life that she was now paying for?

Something moved in the corner of her eye, moving some of the crumpled drapes that used to be in the kitchen windows.

She froze. "Oh god…" She whispered. If she was lucky, it would be one of their cats…and if she wasn't, it could be anything. There were other things besides Vampires in the woods, after all.

Whatever it was, it was a fluff ball. She sighed with relief, recognizing Luna's funny little pet.

"Hey there, It!"

It made a gurgling cooing noise not unlike a happy baby and waddled with outright shocking speed to her side, curling up against her warm stomach. It gurgled some more, looking up at her with obvious happiness.

"Are you all alone here? Were you left behind?" She murmured, stroking It's fur soothingly. It closed its eyes and pressed a cold nose into her side. Much happier now that she knew she wasn't alone, she continued to pet It. All alone here, she'd begun to feel just as helpless and out-of-control as she had last year when she was with Edward, and earlier this year when she was still pining for him. Well, now she was determined to stop feeling like that. She was almost eighteen- almost an adult, and now was the time to stop acting like a terrified child.

They would be back to get their stuff sometime, after all. She could wait.

000000

Harry devoured two sandwiches in record time, but his performance still paled in comparison to Emmett's, who managed to eat five and some fries as well.

"Oh god, I'd forgotten how good thick food could taste." He grinned, leaning back in his chair and wrapping an arm around Harry's shoulders. Harry smiled at him, popping a fry into his mouth.

"I felt the same way when I got back from my wanderings with Hermione and could finally eat something not instant or dug out of a waste bin."

Bysshe and Renata just stared at them, no food in front of them. Neville had chosen to be a neutral party in all of this, so he didn't even look up from his soup, sweeping currents of the slightly too-greasy broth around with his spoon, islands of crackers floating on the top and sometimes becoming overcome by the typhoons he stirred up.

The bell above the door jangled and Hermione and Ron joined them, Ron looking less like a snarling lion and more like his usual playful self. Seeing all of the empty plates on the table, his eyebrows rose.

"Is there any food left for the rest of us?"

00000

End chapter 53


	54. Chapter 54

CHAPTER 54~

"You know, I think Harry and I are going to copy you two and walk back."

Hermione looked up. "It's a lot farther from here to there than it was at the point you dropped us off. Are you going to be alright walking that far?" she grinned. "Not that this is a jab at either of you or your masculine strength and what-not."

"We'll be fine, 'Mione." Harry replied, putting his napkin down and sliding back his chair. In his hand he held the plastic bag containing Bert and Luna's lunches. "See you all later!"

"Bye! And don't get too tempted to wander in the woods, if you know what I mean." Bysshe teased, getting whapped upside the head by Harry and Renata simultaneously. She smiled sheepishly at him and he patted her arm as he walked out the door.

"At least someone can keep him in line while I'm not here."

Outside, it was warming up and the sun threatened to peep out at any moment. Harry suddenly smacked Emmett's butt and went sprinting off down Main Street towards the road that would lead through the winding road in the woods to the Cullens.

Making an outraged sound, Emmett gave chase, discovering somewhat awkwardly a few seconds later that he'd forgotten how to pant, and even to pace himself while running short distances.

"Harry! Wait up!"

He turned around, caught sight of his boyfriend leaning forward with his hands on his knees, and walked back to him. "Are you okay? Babes, are you okay?" his voice got a slightly panicked tone to it as he came close enough to see how heavily Emmett was breathing.

"I'll be okay- I just need to figure out how to use my own lungs again."

Harry laughed. "But I thought Vampires didn't have to breathe, that you only did it so you could track things?"

"Well, considering that I also ate a full meal and enjoyed it, I think its safe to say that my Vampire qualities are significantly changing."

"Well…fuck."

"Yeah." He straightened his back, stretched his arms over his head to crack it, and swung one around Harry. "Come on, let's walk."

"Should I be worried about you?" Harry asked a little while later, squinting up at the sky and seeing that the sun was minutes away from burning them.

Emmett shrugged. "I don't know…maybe?"

"I mean, what if all the years you've been wandering around in an undead body suddenly catch up with you and you turn into dust and bones in front of me without warning some day?"

He pulled Harry closer and kissed the top of his head. "That isn't likely, but even if it did happen, I would die happy."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I would die knowing that I was loved, and loving you."

They were quiet, both unwillingly thinking about life without the other. Harry bit his lip, and then opened his mouth to say something only to have Emmett speak up first.

"You know, I've been thinking…"

"Oh no!" Harry joked, laughing when Emmett ruffled his hair.

"Hey now! I was thinking about, well, you."

"I like thinking about you, too." Harry said sweetly, coming close enough to press his nose to his sleeve. Emmett smelled different, in a good way, almost like fresh things. It was very similar to that fresh spring-like smell that you never could quite pin down with words. He smelled a little bit like flowers, too.

"Good! But, besides that, I was thinking specifically about how I don't want to be parted from you, or have you be with anybody else but me for as long as you live."

"Alright…so, what? Are you going to put me in a chastity belt or something?"

Emmett laughed. "Don't tempt me. I was thinking of something more long term."

Harry nodded, gesturing for him to go on. "Come on, Emm, you're killing me! What did you have in mind?"

Emmett took a deep breath, looked down at him, and came to a complete stop. He, in a sudden fit of nervousness, seized Harry's hands and held them tight enough to make the tendons shift uncomfortably.

"You don't have to yes, but, will you…"

"Will I what?"

"Marry me." Emmett said in a rush, closing his eyes in case Harry was about to reject him. "I know we haven't known each other for years and years like your two best mates, and nor do I know how you stand on same-sex marriage equivalents, but I do love you with everything I have and I can't bear to be separated and-"

"Yes."

"Huh?"

Harry grabbed both sides of his face, pulling him down and kissing him firmly. A passing car honked at them but they ignored it, Harry slipping one hand tightly into Emmett's hair and tugging slightly.

He pulled back when he ran out of breath to rest his forehead against that of his, for once, equally out-of-breath boyfriend, now fiancée. "Does that answer your question, you big dope?"

"Y-yeah."

"Good. Now, let's go find some woods to get lost in. I have a sudden hankering to rejoin myself with nature."

They shared secret, slightly perverted, smiles.

"If you don't mind my saying so, isn't this kind of sudden, Emmett?"

He shrugged. "I've learned that the only way to get anything done when I'm around you is to immediately voice what I want before you can find some way to get out of it or do it first."

"So, I take it you didn't get me a ring, then?"

Emmett winced. "Nope. I don't even know your ring size."

Harry smacked his shoulder. "You know, before I met you, I wasn't aware that it was possible to be both the sweetest guy on earth and the most scatter-brained."

"Are you calling me stupid?" Emmett stuck out his lower lip, leading the way into the cover of the trees just in time for the sun to come out.

"Just a little bit. And you're not glittering, by the way."

"What?" Emmett looked up to find that there was a break in the tree cover, holding up his bare hands and finding that they were not, in fact, glittering like some pre-pubescent play thing. "Well, what do you know?"

Harry looked at them as well, and then kissed the palms on a whim, his smile twinkling. "I can't say that this is upsetting me. Its nice to know that I don't have to compete with you in the light-reflecting department anymore."

"Ha-ha! Was that supposed to be funny? Babes, I hope you don't feel like we are competing in any way. This isn't a bro-mance, it's a romance."

"You really have a way with words, husband-to-be."

"And that latest nickname isn't creepy at all?"

Harry just smiled wider, tugging him closet so that Emmett felt that it would only be right to take advantage of their proximity and re-acquaint himself with the finer points of Harry's body.

"I didn't think it was creepy at all."

Emmett just rolled his eyes and kissed him.

000000

Bella shifted her butt's position on the wood planking, trying to work some life back into it. Both of her feet, harmed and unharmed, were asleep and it was starting to worry her. So far It had scared off a curious squirrel for her, which had been entertaining for a few seconds, but in general she was just bored out of her skull.

She hummed a few bars of a popular song, tapping her fingers to the rhythm. It made an interested noise, raising its fluffy head and blinking its eyes, what she could see of them anyway, at her. Intrigued by its reaction, she hummed some more, even daring to sing the parts of the chorus that she remembered.

It made a happy noise, shuffling its position on her lap to put its little face of its clawed paws, looking up at her as she sang.

Getting an idea, she started singing bits and pieces of all the songs she could remember, starting with the nursery rhymes from way back when she was a little girl. As she sang, her boredom started to fade away and she let herself think about the memories that surfaced with each song as she verbalized it.

Everything was fine until she discovered that she was humming some of Debussy's 'Claire de Lune', which made her scowl. She used to love Debussy before all of her memories became absorbed with ones of Edward.

"That bastard…"

It growled with her, its little eyes seeming to understand what she was thinking. She absently stroked its head. "Thanks for staying here and keeping me company, little guy. I think I'd be going crazy if it wasn't for you."

Something moved rather suddenly to her left and she shrieked, jolting blood into her extremities by jumping. Her injured and trapped ankle complained to her nervous system, which passed the message onto her brain, finally making her wince.

The debris shifted, revealing a small feline head of indiscriminate gender.

"Oh, Idiot, it's just you."

Idiot came closer and mewed mournfully at her, looking around at the wreckage. "I know, I know. It used to be such a nice house after they fixed it up, too." She sighed. "I'm going to miss that living room, with the research table…"

It mimicked Idiot's mewing at her, pawing unexpectedly at her pocket.

"I don't have any food-"

She dug into her pocket, pulling out a pack of gum that she'd forgotten she had. "Oh, you can't have this. It has sugar in it."

Before she could put it back, It pounced and carried off the whole packet just outside of her range of reach, leaving her with a mournful Idiot.

"Hey now! Bring that back right this minute!"

It ignored her, slicing open the cheap cardboard with one of its claws, and then scraping off the silver wrapping from several pieces before it bent its head to inhale the pieces.

"Fine!" Bella snapped when It brought what remained of the packet back to her, chewing noisily and looking mournful to be under her wrath. "Don't you dare blame me if your jaw gets shut or you get sick and have to have your stomach pumped."

"As if that would happen. Its just chewing gum."

She flinched, looking around. There was nobody there. Turning slowly back to It and Idiot, she looked from one to the other. "Did you…"

"Speak? Yes." It replied, in the voice of a smug man, with just a hint of a English accent.

"Um…"

"Please, don't trouble yourself about my methods of communication. I can mimic anything I please."

She swallowed, opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, and finally asked, "So, you've always been able to talk but choose not to or something?"

"Pretty much. I prefer my native tongue, and since my mistress understands me, it hasn't caused any hitches in our relationship. Not to mention that it isn't a good idea for a creature of my appearance to become accustomed to speaking in human speech, because we are often amongst Muggles and people that don't understand me."

"Oh…"

Well, if this wasn't an interesting development, then she was a ferret.

0000000

End chapter 54

I want an honest response: how many of you suspected that It could communicate?


	55. Chapter 55

CHAPTER 55~

When they finally made their way back to Cullens, quite a bit later than expected, they handed over the food to Bert and Luna, who was now awake and ravenous enough to devour her first sandwich in practically one swallow, not unlike a python.

"Are the others here yet?" Harry asked, looking around and not seeing the car.

"Nope. You just missed them. They went to get gas and to check up on the house- Hermione says that she wants to see if she can start repairing it from the foundations up."

"Why? We could just move, you know."

Bert shrugged. "Are you asking _me _to figure out the way that girl's mind works?"

Harry laughed, smiling at Luna, who was opening up the packet of salted nuts an amorous waitress had tossed in for free. "Alright, point taken. We're going to go find out what's up with the Edward situation and then wait with you guys for them to come back."

"Actually, you don't have to wait if you don't want to." Emmett spoke up. "I can drive us back in my car."

Bert positively beamed at him. "Thank you, young man! See, Harry, this is the kind of helpfulness I truly find admirable."

"Whatever, man."

Luna had now opened the salted nuts and was devouring them so swiftly that bits of chewed stuff were coming out of the corners of her mouth. As much as he loved her, harry found it more than a little gross.

"We'll be back in a bit."

Averting his eyes lest he regurgitate his own lunch at the sight, he progressed with his fiancée through the house until they found Carlisle and Esme in the kitchen, wearing matching grim looks.

"So?"

"The overwhelming evidence against him, as well as the opinions of everyone else in the family, dictates banishment to be our next and best course of action."

Emmett nodded, satisfied. "Good." He smiled a secretive smile just then, squeezing Harry's hand. "I don't know if now is a good time for me to tell you guys this, but Harry and I are engaged."

Esme choked, a huge smile completely taking over her previous sadness. "Oh my god!"

"Life comes with death…" Carlisle murmured, smiling a moment later and coming over to embrace his much-larger son. His nostrils suddenly flared and he took a rapid step back, looking from Harry to Emmett, confusion all over his face. He sniffed Emmett again, getting the same mysterious result. "Emmett, why do you smell human?"

Emmett bit the inside of his cheek sheepishly. "I don't really know, but Harry and I are developing some theories."

Carlisle crossed his arms. "Such as?"

000000000

_Carlisle was almost disappointed to find that Edward's room looked the same it always did, short of some cracked windows and pieces of broken books and CDs littering the floor. _

_His soon-to-be estranged son was sitting on the couch with Rosalie on the other end-_

_Carlisle's eyes went wide when he noticed Edward's sudden lack of arms. "Edward, where are your arms? Why haven't you regenerated them?"_

"_I don't have arms because that kid burned them off, for no reason, too." Edward snarled without a trace of the polite tone he normally addressed Carlisle and Esme with. He crossed his legs, not making eye contact. "So…I'm being excommunicated from the coven."_

"_That is the consensus. Considering that this will most likely be our last conversation, I would appreciate it if you would make some eye contact and adjust your tone. I don't like the disrespect you are showing me at the moment; it's very childish and does not become you."_

_Edward sneered at him, finally deigning to look at him. "I really don't give a damn. I am missing both of my arms and on the brink of becoming homeless- forgive me for not being all smiles and sunshine."_

"_You know perfectly well that this is your own fault. If you'll permit me to ask- why did you do it?"_

_Edward shrugged. "That kid is poisonous and a danger to the coven, but none of you seemed to agree or want to do anything about it, so I took the matter into my own hands."_

_Carlisle's mouth tightened. "And what made you think that this was appropriate?"_

"_Do I look like I care about whether something is appropriate or not? Harry is going down one way or another, and once I'm out of here, I'm going to find some way to get at him."_

_Carlisle lost his temper. "Edward, I am trying to be patient with you, but you aren't giving me any signs that my effort is worth anything!"_

_There was no reaction. Rosalie quietly got up and left the two of them alone in what was left of Edward's room. _

"_Honestly, Edward, even with everyone else against you, I was hoping that this was all some kind of misunderstanding…that you hadn't really done the things they said you did. To this moment, I still cannot comprehend how you could think that contacting the Volturi would be a good idea. We know how tyrannical they are-"_

"_Were."_

"_Pardon?"_

"_Thanks to Harry, there aren't any of them left. Like I said, the kid is poisonous. People just die around him…I mean, come on! I am crippled for the rest of my existence!"_

_Carlisle bared his fangs. "I have nothing else to say to you, Edward. You have fifteen minutes to pack, if you can, what you like of your belongings, but when I come back here, I want to find you gone. If you are not gone, I will not hold back my anger."_

_Edward stuck his tongue out at his back defiantly._

_000000_

The car pulled up at the remains of their house, next to Bella's truck.

"Bella? Bella!" Hermione yelled, coming out of the car and rushing across the open ground before picking more carefully through the house to where her friend was bent over her ankle. On closer ground, Hermione could see that it had fallen through the floorboards and was not only punctured but stuck fast.

"H-hi." Bella shakily greeted, trying to smile but pale with pain. The sun only bleached her complexion out farther, making her look a little ghost-like. Thankfully, upon examining her ankle, Hermione saw that the blood was already caked and scabbing instead of gushing.

"Hey, sweetheart; how long have you been stuck here?"

"Oh, I don't know. An hour? Two?" Bella shrugged. "As long as you guys are here now, I don't care."

"She's been here for two and a half hours." It helpfully pointed out, making that happy gurgling noise similar to a baby's laugh when Hermione jumped.

"Oh wow! I didn't realize you spoke to people other than Luna." Hermione reached out and scratched behind It's ears. "Have you been keeping Bella company for us?"

"Yes, ever since the silly girl hurt herself."

Bella shakily nodded to confirm what the thing was saying. "So, do you have any idea how to get my leg out?"

"Hang on for just a few more minutes." Hermione patted her calf soothingly, gesturing for Ron to come closer.

"Yeah, babe?"

"Can you find a knife or do you have one on you? Mine is in my trunk."

Bella's eyes widened at the thought of sharp and shiny things close to her injury. "Uh, is there some other way to get me out short of amputating my leg?"

Hermione blinked and then started giggling. "Oh my god! No, we're not amputating your leg!"

Bella heaved a huge sigh of relief that the others found borderline insulting. "Thank god. Sorry for thinking that you would, but its just that you're all so crazy that I just have this 'anything is possible' mentality where you're concerned."

"Oh!" Hermione laughed again, sounding more sheepish. "I still need that knife, Ron."

"Sorry." Ron reached down and tugged up his jeans to un-strap a dangerous-looking curved blade from his calf. He handed it to Hermione like it was nothing more than a Popsicle stick.

"Thanks. Okay, just hold still."

Bella nodded, still a little freaked out and breathing heavily. She resisted the instinctive urge to flinch away from that knife (who knew what Ron used it for?) when it started carefully carving away the board trapping her foot.

In about two minutes, Hermione had cut her foot free, letting her see for the first time that there were two or three large shards sticking into her foot.

"Ouch." Neville commented, bending down beside her and holding out his arms.

Bella looked at him stupidly, not comprehending what he was offering until he grinned and said, "No offense, but you can't exactly walk to the car. We need to take you to the emergency room to have this looked at."

"And call your dad." Hermione piped up meaningfully.

Wrapping her arms around Neville's neck, Bella let herself be carried like a child to the car, where they waited for Hermione and Ron to move to the second bench, leaving the front open to them.

She noticed an unfamiliar Vampire sitting shotgun, with Bysshe smoking (what else is new?) at the wheel. He gave her a two-fingered salute and smile when he saw her looking at him, dispelling the sullen part of her that was busy disapproving of his nicotine habit.

"Hey there, Bella! It would seem that your eternal bad luck has caught up with you yet again, eh?"

"Can it, smart-ass. And put that cigarette out!" out of the corner of her eye, she could see Hermione sheepishly replacing a packet of Marlboros into her skirt pocket. It was new, with the plastic still wrapped around it. She sighed. She was just doomed to be around people determined to smoke their lives away.

"How about we wait until I'm finished with this one and I agree not to light another one?"

"Fine." She grumbled, hearing Neville snicker quietly beside her. When she thought about it, it was one of the only things she knew about Neville- that he was quiet, and of course that he was kind of a plant lover with a major green thumb. He'd shown her his attic garden once, and she was still a little amazed that he'd managed to get so much to grow in such a short period of time.

"Thanks for carrying me."

"No problem; I'm sure you'll do the same for me." He teased, fully aware that it was doubtful that she would be able to lift him for even a few seconds.

She punched his shoulder, eyes alight with good humor. All of those hours alone had really made her appreciate being around other people.

"Oh, dammit!"

"What? What happened?" Bysshe stopped the car just short of the main road, turning to look at her.

"I left my phone in my car! Again!"

"It's okay, Bella. We'll just turn around and go get it."

She moaned and put her face in her hands. "God, I am so sorry, you guys!"

Neville looked at her incredulously, and she could feel that the couple behind her was doing the same.

"Seriously, Bella, this is no big deal. Don't beat yourself up about it."

"It still bothers me, though."

A few minutes later, Bysshe retrieved her phone, handed it over so she could call her dad, and resumed their drive to the hospital. She realized, while the phone was ringing, that neither of the Vampires seemed to be bothered by her injury. Her eyebrows went up, but she dismissed it as yet another freaky wizard thing, even though the woman next to Bysshe didn't look as hyper-colored as he did.

"Chief Swan speaking." Her father's voice made her jump.

"Oh, hey dad! Its, um, it's Bella."

"I can hear that. What happened?"

"Well…its stupid, but I, um, I tripped and got some big wooden splinters in my ankle. I'm being driven to the emergency room as we speak by some friends-"

"What!? I'm coming to the hospital."

"Good. That's what I was calling to ask you."

"How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "It hurts of course, but not too badly. I'm in good hands. I'll see you there?"

"Yeah, and we are going to have a serious discussion when I get there."

Biting back a sigh, she replied, "Okay. Love you dad!"

"Love you too. Bye."

"Bye."

She hung up and stuffed it into her pocket, clasping her hands and fiddling awkwardly with her nails for the remainder of the car trip as her friends struck up and did their best to include her in a conversation about oral myths versus written ones.

She was unaware that, right at that moment, Edward Cullen was setting out in the woods, heading as far away from Forks and Washington in general as he could.

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End chapter 55


	56. Chapter 56

A/N: OMG! I passed the fucking 2000 review mark! I never anticipated that that was possible! You guys are amazing and I couldn't be happier 

CHAPTER 56~

Carlisle hadn't handled Emmett's newly human state very well, but decided in the end, under rather a lot of pressure from everyone else in the coven and his own desires, to let his human son remain a member of their family. Jasper somehow decided that now was the time to come up with all sorts of vaguely inappropriate jokes about 'hanging about in the wrong company' and 'birds of a feather flock together'. He'd already been smacked, several times, by both his wife and Esme.

And now that all of the pain and suffering that finals brought was finally over, it left Harry and Bella floating on a strange high of exhaustion and anticipation for summer months spent sleeping in for as long as they damn well pleased, although Harry somehow knew that Bert wasn't going to let that particular plan of his fly, the bastard.

His single, hellish year spent in Muggle high school was over. Looking back, it had all passed by so fast, even though it seemed to crawl at some parts. Now, all he had to do was stay in Forks until he turned seventeen, and then figure out where he was going to live. He was actually considering staying in town, although not attending school, and just settling down with Emmett.

He would have to discuss that with Emmett before getting too attached to the idea, though.

"Drive me home?" Bella asked idly, leaning against her crutches and staring out into the parking lot.

"Yeah, sure."

Through trial and error, Emmett had taught Harry how to drive a car and drive on a side of the road entirely unfamiliar to him in order to let him drive Bella around until her ankle healed completely.

Walking slowly so that he wouldn't leave her in the dust, Harry led the way to the car, reaching into his pocket for his pack of cigarettes.

Just as he was about to tap one out, Bella cleared her throat loudly. "Not in my car, Harry, not in my car."

"Dammit."

"Sorry buddy, but that just doesn't work for me. Now, help me in."

He rolled his eyes and supported her with one arm while taking her crutches and tossing them into the back seat. Grabbing her under her armpits, he managed to hoist her into the vehicle and made sure that she was settled before closing her door and rounding the truck to the driver's side.

"And please try to drive the speed limit this time."

He stuck his tongue out at her. "Just for that, I'm going to drive extra-slow…so slow the grannies will be angry."

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Hermione was sitting on the porch of their newly-reconstructed house, drinking tea and flipping through the guest list. The wedding was in two weeks and she was now taking to lacing her tea with calming draughts to keep herself from stressing out too much.

She had originally invited roughly a hundred people, most of them relatives and business associates, most of which she'd never met in person; but now that the RSVPs had actually started arriving in the post, she discovered that very few people could actually make it. Namely, the Lovegoods, the Weasleys, some of the old Order members, and everyone she was currently living with.

She sighed, closing the folder and setting it down on the bench next to her. Right now, all she had to do was wait around for the big day.

Bella's truck suddenly swerved into sight, Harry grinning at the wheel and Bella looking like she was ready to throw up. She waved to them, getting to her feet and descending the steps.

When the truck came to a stop, Harry got out and hugged her even though he'd just seen her that morning, obviously caught up in the exuberance of the first day of summer break.

"Not to interrupt your love fest, but I would very much like to get out of this truck!" Bella called out the window at them in false outrage, giggling when Hermione stood on her tiptoes to kiss her cheek.

"Sorry! We haven't forgotten you, Bella."

"I should certainly hope not, or you both shall find yourselves sleeping on the couch tonight."

Hermione laughed. "I'll go make you guys some tea and see if I can find some biscuits."

"Thank you!"

She just waved away their thanks, heading back inside, her loose dress flapping a little in the warm breeze.

Harry shook his head, rounding the car and opening her door. He held out his arms.

"Come here, you old invalid."

"It's cripple to _you, _you cretin." She turned her nose up in a way that would have put Mrs. Malfoy herself to shame and held her hand out. He kissed it with a mocking smile before taking careful hold of her waist and helping her down, where she leaned against the car with her bandaged foot curved up like a heron bird, waiting for him to dig out her crutches.

"I can't believe this…Harry, next year I'll be a senior, and then what?"

He blinked at her. "Well, college for you, of course."

When she just looked at him, his eyes darkened and he frowned. "Bella, don't tell me that you have even considered not going into higher education."

She shrugged a little too casually, looking away.

"This isn't the 1950s anymore, Bella. A high school diploma just doesn't cut it if you want a real future with a stable job and a stable home, independent of other people financially. Please don't give up on something better for yourself."

"If it means that much to you, then fine; I'll go to college."

He sighed. "What I want is beside the point. This is supposed to be about what you want, and hopefully what you want is what is best for you. You're a smart girl, and it's a fucking shame to waste a perfectly good mind."

She laid her hand on his arm, squeezing lightly. "I wasn't really thinking about giving up college completely, Harry. Sorry, but I'm still young and stupid." That comment wormed a rueful smile out of him, and he handed her the crutches. "What I was actually considering was taking a year off and working so I can save up some money so I can pay for some of it myself. Thanks for the pep talk, though."

"Why you…!"

Laughing, she hobbled away on her crutches. "It's nice to know that you can still be a mother hen even when you're shorter than someone."

"Oh, now that was below the belt! You can just try and get up those stairs without me."

She snorted. "Oh, don't be such a sensitive Steven."

Once inside, they made themselves at home on the couch in the kitchen, where Hermione was already fiddling in the cupboard for the sugar jar.

"What the hell? Where is it?" she muttered to herself, shifting aside clinking bottles and whispery boxes until she saw it shoved to the way back. "God, what was it doing all the way back there?"

"Someone must have pranked you." Harry theorized, leaning his head back and staring up at the beams of the kitchen ceiling. They were blackened already from the smoke that came from having various people of dubious cooking skills under the same roof, even though the house had been re-built just barely a week ago.

"You're probably right." Hermione sighed and spooned some into their cups, carrying them bartender-style over to the couch. "The one on the left is yours, Bella. It's the one with an amount of sugar that could kill a normal human."

Bella took the glass and smacked Hermione's arm with her free hand. "There's no need to be nasty. I need my sugar fix."

"Junkie." Hermione sat on her other side, causing Bella to remember that she was now sandwiched between two people that were known to be fickle in the trustworthy department. She cradled her tea close to herself and pretended to peer at them out of the corners of her eyes.

Hermione grinned and raised her own cooling tea in a salute whilst Harry showed her his tongue.

"So, Harry, has Emmett gotten you a ring yet? It's been almost a month since he proposed."

Bella was still getting used to the idea of Emmett and Harry in a relationship, and now knowing that they were engaged when Harry wasn't even seventeen yet was wreaking havoc on her delicate sensibilities, no matter how altered they'd become from spending time with Hermione.

"Well…not exactly…" Harry was smiling that sly smile of his that meant he was toying with them, and Bella found herself genuinely wondering when Emmett was going to bring Harry some physical proof of their commitment to each other.

"And that means…?"

"That he's getting it right now, as we speak. You guys will be the first to see it besides Rose, who's helping him pick it out."

Hermione squealed, nearly spilling her tea. She set it down on the floor and reached over Bella, who squawked, and hugged Harry tightly around the stomach. "Ack, you little brat! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew that it would irritate you, of course. Why else would I do something like that, you twat? You know, for someone supposed to be so intelligent, you can be awfully stupid sometimes."

She smacked him upside the back of his head and went back to her end of the couch, finally giving Bella her personal space back.

"Not that watching you two snipe at each other like nasty teenaged girls isn't amusing, but can someone please tell me how Luna has been doing lately?" Bella spoke up before they could start bickering again. They gave her some ugly looks for the 'teenaged girls' comment, but conceded with her silent request for a change in subject.

"The poor thing has been having hot flashes like nobody's business, so I've holed her up in Bert's room with an air conditioner and some fans. I made her some lemonade too, but it was too sweet for her so it's still in the fridge. If either of you want it, help yourselves."

"After my tea." Harry murmured, stirring his with his finger. "Speaking of Luna, what are you guys opinions on her pseudo-relationship with our favorite elderly pervert?"

Bella coughed. "Wait, Luna and Bysshe are dating?"

"Not that pervert! The other one…"

"Oh!" She sipped some of her tea, smiling at the sweetness. "Well, its not my place to say one way or the other-"

"Bella, I'm _asking _you to say one way or the other." Harry patiently pointed out.

She looked sheepish. "Sorry. Um, I think, despite the age gap, that it just kind of, you know, works. I wouldn't recommend it between any other two people in the same situation, but with those two, it's alright. If there's anyone who can handle Bert, it's Luna and vice versa. What do you think, Hermione?"

Hermione shrugged. "I agree with you, even though I do think that Luna is a bit young and has obviously been through some trauma recently." She made a not-very-subtle rounding gesture at her own stomach that made Bella blink.

"I don't get it. What trauma?"

Harry gently touched her arm. "I thought you knew, but we're pretty sure that Luna was raped."

"W-what?"

Call her naïve, but in Bella's world, rape was something that happened to women far away in TV specials and crime dramas. It most certainly was not something that happened to people like Luna. The thought that it had happened, and that the result of it had been staring her in the face the entire time, made her feel sick and vulnerable and exposed. "What kind of sick person could do that, and to do _that _to her, of all people?"

Harry sighed, looking down into his tea. His own rippling reflection looked past at him. "Who knows why people do stupid things like that? Either way, Luna isn't talking, even though she has acknowledged that he needs to be punished by the law."

"Damn straight! If I ever see him, he can be sure that he won't ever be able to do that to anyone ever again, consensually or otherwise." Hermione snarled, sounding like a tigress.

Bella shivered, and drank some tea to warm herself up again. She was, once again, very glad to be Hermione's friend.

The door opened rather suddenly, and then Emmett was sprinting into the kitchen and skidding to a stop in front of Harry, who was suddenly looking a little pink-cheeked and shy. It was such an unusual look for him that Bella found herself staring.

Successfully lowering himself onto one knee, Emmett held out a box covered in blue velvet. In the background, Rosalie leaned against the door-frame, smiling coolly at them and looking as pristine as ever in a designer dress reminiscent of the 1960s.

"I know I didn't do this properly the first time, so now I have the proper physical part of the whole thing." Emmett laughed breathily, his cheeks also pink.

Bella's eyes widened. The changes had been gradual, and she was almost positive that she was seeing things at first, but now she could see for absolute certain that Emmett was a human being. And somehow, this didn't surprise her. It was exactly the sort of thing that happened around Harry.

He opened the box, and inside was nestled a plain gold band with a trio of inset rubies. "Will you consent to spend the rest of your existence making sure that I don't do anything stupid, and keeping me company on top of it all?"

Harry laughed. "Only if you promise to do the same for me."

"You know I do."

"Then I accept your offer."

"Good." Emmett shifted forward on his knees a little awkwardly, and bent his head up at the same time that Harry bent his downwards, and they kissed.

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End chapter 56


	57. Chapter 57

CHAPTER 57

Luna was engaged deeply in Bert's edition of Anton Chekhov's 'Four Sisters', blindly groping for her biscuit while holding her book steady with one hand. Her fingers were still swollen from the pregnancy and it always made her look-twice when she thought to look at her own hands. It was strange to her that they, and so many other parts of her, would be bigger now, even though she was perfectly aware of the actual reason.

She popped the biscuit into her mouth, smiling when she realized that it was her favorite kind, the vanilla ones with bits of dried figs in them. She stroked her own stomach, large as it was, absently and turned a page of her book, the faintly scratching sound rubbing affectionately against her fond eardrums.

Suddenly she became aware that the air pressure of the room had shifted, as well as the light patterns in the corners of her line of sight. She ate another biscuit, and would probably have continued reading if someone sitting next to her hadn't cleared their throat rather loudly.

"Oh, I hate to be rude, but could you please be quiet, Ron? I'm trying to read."

He sighed, running a hand across his face and looking at her with exasperation.

"Is something the matter, Ron?"

She now became aware that everyone she lived with, plus Harry's fiancée, were gathered in the living room and, under some conspiracy no doubt, looking at her.

"Um…?"

"Luna, what we are about to do is have an intervention. Do you know what this means?" Bert began, clutching a mug of what smelled like coffee in his hands. She shook her head, putting away her book reluctantly because it was only polite. "This means that there is something going on with you that you need to change, and we have gathered here because we all care about you and want to support you while you do this."

She shrugged, smiling around yet another biscuit. "Alright, then; what am I doing wrong?"

"You are with-holding information."

Her blonde brows squeezed together as she tried to work out a meaning from that other than the obvious. "Sorry…?"

Bert sighed. "Luna, who is the father of the child you are currently carrying?"

She frowned and crossed her arms, looking away from him. This, unfortunately, meant looking at Harry, who looked sadder than he had since the final funeral for those who'd died in the War.

"Luna, please answer the question. If you don't know his name, then describe what you can of him."

"What are you going to do if I tell you?"

"_When, _not if, you tell us, we are going to hire Bysshe, because he's too much of a tight-ass to do it for free, and have him track down this monster."

"And then what? More violence, more bloodshed?" She fumbled in the tin for another biscuit, pulling out a broken half of one. "I don't know about the rest of you, but personally I am ready to forgive and forget for once, before I loose all sense of humanity."

The room was quiet, her loved ones looking appropriately shamed until Harry spoke up in a quiet, deadly voice that she'd only heard once or twice before. It was not a good sign. "Luna, if we leave him alone, he'll just go around repeating this travesty without a care in the world until someone stops him. Not to mention that, while you have chosen to forgive him, I have not. So, who is he?"

She let the half-biscuit dissolve in her mouth a little before chewing slowly and then swallowing. "His name is Ralph Woolf, he lives in the Wizarding community of Beaucomp in Australia and works as an aide in one of the apothecaries, and I can't remember which one, so don't ask me."

They were still quiet, perhaps surprised that she'd told them so easily. "And…and did you two know each other? You seem to know a lot about him."

Luna grumbled something under her breath about 'greedy bastards' and then said loud enough to be heard completely, "Yeah, I knew him, though barely more as acquaintances until, of course, the nasty part. You all know that I was doing some research there, and I visited their apothecary a couple of times. He was friendly, and so was I, and that should have been the end of it but…" She sighed and looked down at her hands. "I've thought about it and tried to figure it out, but even now it still doesn't make sense to me. It was just before the shop could close and on the night I came stay with you guys, and he was in the back room refreshing their stock of ready-made potions, so I went back to ask for some help and he was doing so when, I don't know, something happened with the ingredients in the cauldrons."

Hermione frowned and looked across the room at Ron, who raised a hand a half-inch to show that he didn't get it either.

"Um…and then what happened, Luna?" Bert asked, rather obviously trying to be understanding but his impatience still shining through.

"Well, then he stared really hard at me, which was quite creepy and really should have warned me to leave, but then he said some bullshit about 'imprinting' and attacked me. It…it happened really fast, and I didn't really know how to make myself believe that it was actually happening. He hurt me pretty bad because he was clearly out of his mind, and that was why I had the, um, the torso injuries when I arrived."

"And that's why you were late…" Harry whispered. "Oh my god, Luna, why didn't you tell us right away instead of letting us wait and slowly realize it ourselves?"

She looked confused, and slowly replied, "Because I didn't want to worry you…and I guess I hadn't quite realized what had happened. I'm sorry for not freaking out, since that is obviously what I was _supposed _to be doing!" Her voice rose until she shrieked the last part, her little hands fisting the sofa cushions.

There went her good mood, running for the hills.

"Luna, sweetie, please calm down." Hermione came over, seizing her pregnant friend by the shoulders and somehow wriggling herself underneath her. She wrapped her arms loosely around her stomach and playfully dug her chin into her shoulder while Ron watched impassively. Luna sulkily allowed herself to be soothed, mother-hen style.

"Now, are you going to be nice enough to tell me how you got away from him?"

Luna stuck out her lower lip, realizing that she was being stared at by everyone in the room. "You know, couldn't we have done this in a less embarrassing way?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably on the couch, and she knew immediately that she wasn't the only one feeling awkward. "Answer me, please, or I'll take away your biscuits."

"Oh, fine! You are very cruel, Hermione."

"I know. Now answer before I pinch your spacious bum."

"Hey, don't you dare get perverted on me! anyway, I got away because, once he was finished, he started blubbering apologies and sat as far away from me in a corner as he could like a madman, and then he started crying. So I left."

Neville groaned. "Only you would make something like that sound so simple."

"But it _is _simple."

He shook his head at her, getting up from the couch and stretching. "Well, I'm going to go call Bysshe and let him know that we know the wanker's name, now."

"Go ahead. I guess I don't care anymore…for all I know, he could have killed himself after I left. I wasn't exactly keen on going back to check up on him."

Hermione smoothed her hair and craned her neck to kiss her cheek. "Hey, now that we've finished the meeting, would you like me to braid your hair for you? I can try weaving those ribbons of yours into it this time."

Luna perked up. "Oh, would you?"

"Sure; not only do I have nothing else to do, but I also enjoy spoiling you from time to time. You're going to owe me big time when it's my turn to get pregnant, though."

Ron choked on a biscuit.

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The woman sitting across from her had badly-bleached hair and short nails painted a brilliant, and rather attractive, shade of blue. She smiled at Hermione from time to time, obviously trying to find something to say.

"So…you are the one getting married this week?"

"The day after next, yes." Hermione politely replied, not really interested in striking up a conversation with her manicurist, even though it was practically part of the grooming process. Next to her, looking as vague as she used to on good days at Hogwarts, Luna was having her own done in rose pink. She'd been very particular about which shade she wanted, and now that she had it she seemed content to let her mind fly away with the birds.

Smiling at her friend, Hermione turned her attention back to her own nails, which were swiftly being coated with the dove-gray color she picked.

"Are you excited?"

"Oh, yes, but not too much. I'm guessing that I'll get really bad jitters on the actual day, and I'll probably make a mess of things somehow."

"Or trip…" Luna suggested mildly, reminding her own manicurist, Nellie, that she wasn't actually dead or in a catatonic state.

"Are you a bridesmaid?"

Luna shook her head, smiling blandly. "I'm the maid of honor. She decided not to have bridesmaids because, well, we didn't who we would use besides our friend Ginny, who we have kind of drifted away from after her rather nasty bitch-fit against Harry for no reason."

The look on Nellie's face showed that she wished she hadn't asked.

"I, uh, I see. So! Who's the best man? You know what they say about maids of honor and the best men, of course." Nellie winked and would have nudged Luna if she wasn't occupied with her nail varnish.

"Harry, and I doubt that we'll end up married with little brats of our own."

"Oh? Why not?"

"He's engaged to someone who could easily rip me in half with his bare hands if he got jealous enough."

Nellie blinked, obviously trying to wrap that sentence around in her mind to make it mean something other than what it actually did. She gave up, and decided to break the 'polite' rule for the sake of her sanity. "He's _gay?"_

"Yep." Luna started humming while Hermione made strange snorting sounds next to her, biting down on the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

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The Weasleys arrived a couple of hours before the actual rehearsal dinner in a flurry of noise and color that they hadn't mustered up in years, except for Ginny, who's forced smile just wasn't quite convincing enough. Emmett didn't know why, but the moment he saw her from across the room he disliked her.

Mrs. Weasley looked a little shocked at Luna's pregnant state before Ron drew her aside and explained the entire situation. After that he had to stay close to her to make sure that she didn't start fawning too much over Luna or go bolting off to castrate Ralph Woolf with her own bare hands.

"Oh, you poor thing! I still can't believe that that happened." Mrs. Weasley said for the thousandth time. Thankfully, instead of getting irritated, Luna didn't seem to mind. It might have had something to do with the steady stream of food that the matriarch had been feeding her ever since she escaped from Ron and cornered the blonde.

"Well, that's life. The bad times happen to help us appreciate the good times, like now." Luna smiled sweetly. "What could balance out what happened to me better than your son and Hermione finding so much love for each other and choosing to spend their lives together?"

Mrs. Weasley's eyes shone, and she impulsively hugged her. "You are such a sweetie, do you know that? You warm my heart."

Luna blissfully hugged her back, sticking her tongue out at Bert, who did it back just in time for Mrs. Weasley to catch him. She raised an eyebrow and crooked her finger at him.

Drawn inexplicably towards that finger just as he had been to his own mother whenever she'd tapped her foot at him when he was a child, he folded his hands behind his back and did his best to look innocent. It wasn't very convincing.

"You must be the man taking care of Harry."

"That is correct, ma'am. My name is Bert and it is an honor to meet you-"

She waved his handshake away, releasing Luna from her stranglehold on her to wrap herself tightly like a blanket around Bert. He turned a little red, which made Luna giggle. "It's lovely to meet you as well, Bert. You can call me Molly, though. None of this 'ma'am' business needed."

He nodded, not daring to contradict her will.

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End chapter 57

Wedding stuff!


	58. Chapter 58

CHAPTER 58

"Oh, damn, I was right!" Hermione muttered to herself, plucking at her skirt for the hundredth time. Luna looked up from her magazine vaguely, which she'd nicked from the nail salon.

"You were right about what, honey?"

"I'm so fucking nervous!" She threw her hands into the air and stalked over to sit, with a loud rustling sound, next to Luna on the elegant sofa. They were in the lady's restroom of the only Catholic Church in Forks. It felt a little sacrilegious to be getting married in a church at first, considering the opinion Christians around the world are supposed to have of witchcraft, but in the end she'd decided that she wanted to get married in one anyone. It was what her parents would have wanted.

Luna patted her knee. "You'll be fine, 'Mione."

Hermione sighed, sagging a little. "Will I? You know the propensity things have to go wrong around me and the others, you included."

She shrugged, putting away her magazine and turning her full attention to Hermione. "If something does go wrong, it will have nothing to do with how much you and Ron care about each other, or your ability to become husband and wife." She gently took her gloved hands, stroking the lace covering them fondly. "And that's the only part of today that actually matters. Everything else can be repaired or fixed later."

"You always know just what to say, you know that, Luna?" Hermione said wonderingly, tugging on the end of Luna's braid. She just smiled calmly back, cool as a cucumber in contrast to Hermione's still-lingering jitters.

"Thank you. Do you want some chocolate to calm you down some more?" She reached into her handbag, squeaking and pulling her hand out when It unexpectedly licked her fingers. "You nasty little thing, startling me like that!" She scolded, tapping It's nose.

"My apologies… Did you say something about chocolate?"

Luna sighed. "Yes, but the bride gets first dibs."

Hermione grinned at her, accepting the foil-wrapped bar and carefully breaking off a couple of squares, mindful of her dress. Nearby, safely in a vase with a shallow amount of water to keep it fresh, her bouquet made from Lilies of the Valley released its fragrance into the air.

"Gee, if I knew that getting married would give me special dibs to your stash, I would have done it much sooner."

Luna giggled, taking some of the chocolate for herself and then feeding It the rest. "If I told all of my secrets at once, what kind of woman would I be?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, letting the chocolate dissolve in her mouth, wiping away the first bout of nervousness. She wondered how Ron was doing. They only had half an hour before she would be walking down the aisle to officially take her place at his side, after all.

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"Stop fiddling with your neck-tie!" Harry snapped, unable to stand seeing Ron rumple his tie yet again. Emmett snickered, taking a bite of his apple and ducking the cufflink Ron half-heartedly threw at him. Normally it would only be the best man keeping the groom company while they waited for the Reverend to arrive so they could commence, but Emmett had refused to be separated from Harry.

Ron found that he really didn't mind, since Emmett was pretty easy-going, a lot like his older brother Charlie, which was keeping him from having a fit.

"But Harry!" Ron whined, reaching up for the silk strip of fabric before having his hand batted away by him.

"But what, Ron?" Harry sighed, adjusting it so it was no longer crooked and smoothing out the wrinkles.

"I'm nervous _and _bored!"

Harry groaned. "At this rate, you're going to drive me to either homicide or suicide."

"If you kill yourself, so will I, like Romeo and Juliet." Emmett piped up, finishing his apple and tossing the core into the trash can.

"Oh, but if I kill myself first, that makes you Juliet!" Harry announced triumphantly, getting confused looks from both his best friend and his fiancée. "Get it? Romeo thought Juliet was actually dead and poisoned himself, and then she woke up and stabbed herself…which makes Emmett a girl…"

They were still looking at him weird.

"Oh, never mind!"

Someone knocked on the door to the men's room, and they perked up. Mrs. Weasley peeked inside, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw that they were all dressed and not comparing penises or something equally immature. "We're ready to start, now!"

"Yes!" Ron stood up quickly, patting down his jacket and smiling so brightly that it hurt a little to look at him. Harry wondered if he would look like that on his own wedding day, all glowing and excited.

Before he could walk into the hall, his mother seized his face in her hands and kissed both of his cheeks and then his forehead, holding him close to her breast. "Oh, my precious little boy is finally all grown up and beating his older brothers to the altar!"

"Mum…"

"I love you so much and I know that you two will be lovely together."

He smiled, looking a little teary-eyed, though he would deny it if anyone asked afterwards. "Thanks, mum."

She stepped back, squeezing his shoulders lovingly before letting him go. "Well, you'd best go and stand up there. It wouldn't do for the bride to come down the aisle and find the platform deserted."

"Yeah, she'd kill me." Ron laughed, flushed and nervous.

Harry smiled brightly at Mrs. Weasley and then Emmett before following the groom to the front of the church.

Standing up there and looking out at the small crowd, barely earning that name, he let himself smile. On the other side of the stage, Luna stood, her thick braid of hair coiling over her shoulder, the silver ribbon weaved into it glinting brilliantly in the colored sunlight filtering through the stained glass windows. He took a deep breath, feeling his anticipation rise. A moment later, the violinist they'd hired in La Push started playing the wedding march, accompanied by the piano, and Hermione swept into view. She didn't bother to move excessively slowly down the aisle as was 'traditional', instead walking down like she would through a park or in a supermarket.

She looked more beautiful than she had at the Yule Ball, eyes bright and smiling ear-to-ear, not a sign of shyness or even a coy look about her features.

Ascending the steps with ease despite her long skirts, she handed her bouquet to Luna and took Ron's hand.

Harry didn't hear a word of what the Reverend said, focused instead on his two best friends and their happiness. His thoughts drifted despite his attempts to make himself focus, sliding once again into the realm of his own impending nuptials. It wasn't until Ron placed his hands on Hermione's shoulders and bent down to kiss her chastely, lovingly, that he got it together.

Luna gave him a knowing grin, shaking her head at him and slipping her arm through his as they followed the couple down the aisle and into the reception area.

He certainly hadn't noticed Ginny looking at him almost hungrily or the black expression on Emmett's face ever since he noticed the attention she was paying to the brunette.

He wasn't an unreasonable man, but surely it wasn't too much to ask for people to respect their engagement?

00000

Champagne in hand, Harry stood and cleared his throat. Since they were all sitting at the same table and there were only, roughly, twenty people present, this was sufficient to get silence.

"You are all aware of the painfully-obvious crush these two have had on each other since the very first day they met."

There was muffled laughter and Ron blushed

"So I can't say that I was surprised when they decided to tie the knot, but I _am_ very happy for both of them. Love isn't something to take lightly or something that everyone gets to have, and these two are doing the smart thing, which is namely seizing it by the horns. They have my dearest wish for a long life together, filled with peace and the support of everyone who cares about them."

Murmurs of agreement and affection rose from their guests, and Mrs. Weasley dabbed at her eyes.

"All of this in mind, I toast to their union. Cheers!" He raised his glass and drank along with everyone else.

"Thanks, mate." Ron said softly after Harry sat down, bumping their shoulders together.

Harry just smiled at him. "No problem. You know I meant every word."

"Well, thanks. I love you too." He grinned, taking a bite of his salmon and leaning down to reply to something Hermione whispered in his ear.

Sighing quietly, Harry looked up and happened to catch Ginny looking at him. He raised his eyebrows and she looked away. "Who's that chick?" Emmett suddenly whispered in his ear, sounding almost angry. Harry jumped and spilled champagne on his shirt.

"That's Ron's younger sister, Ginny."

"I know that! I meant, who is she to you?"

Harry blinked at him. "We dated a tiny bit in school before I broke it off because I didn't feel anything for her, if that's what you wanted to know. It's not my fault if she's either not over it or is just pissed at me for something, again."

Emmett looked like he believed him, but he still didn't look any less angry. "Well, I don't like the way she's been watching you."

Harry shrugged, not knowing what to do. He took a bite of his garlic potatoes. "I don't know what to tell you, babes, but if it bothers you so much, why don't you tell her that it upsets you once we're done eating?"

Judging from the way Emmett seemed to brighten, that obviously hadn't occurred to him before. Harry sighed and finished his food along with everyone else, striking up a conversation with Bill, who was sitting across from him.

00000

After eating, while Ron and Hermione started opening presents, Harry looked around for Bella since he hadn't had a chance to say hello to her yet. To his surprise, she was standing towards the edge of the room, talking rather intensely to Charlie, who was looking _very _interested in what she had to say.

He nudged Emmett when he came to stand possessively next to him, practically looming in his personal space. "Check them out- Charlie seems to be really into Bella."

Emmett snickered. "Hey, he's not a bad-looking guy. Good for them."

"Yeah…so, did you have something you wanted to say to me in particular or did you just want to be near me?" He coyly brushed his hand down Emmett's broad chest as he said this, smiling up at him.

His breath caught, and Harry found himself getting kissed. Not caring if anyone saw them, he wrapped his arms around Emmett's neck and stood on his toes to give them more room for movement.

Someone coughed lightly, and they broke apart hastily to see who dared to interrupt their love moment.

Ginny stood there, all of sixteen years thanks to her birthday and gripping a glass of champagne tightly enough to make it creak. She smiled icily at them. "Hello, Harry. Why didn't you come greet me earlier? You've been ignoring me since I got here."

"Well, I would have come over and said something nice, but you seemed to be angry with me so I didn't want to upset you. Are you actually upset with me?"

She looked torn before abruptly squaring her shoulders. "Whatever. You know, if you'd told me that you weren't interested in dating me because you were a _fag, _I wouldn't have been so angry at you when we broke up."

Emmett grip on Harry's shoulder tightened and Harry winced. Before Harry could diffuse the situation, Emmett snarled, "Look here, bitch! I don't care who you are or who you think you are, but nobody talks that way to my fiancée."

She gasped. "What? You two are…are…engaged?!"

"It's none of your business, since we are obviously no longer friends, but yes, we are." Harry snapped, tired of her childishness. "I'm glad that I broke up with you; god knows how much pain I spared myself from."

"Ugh!" she threw her champagne in his face and stalked away. Emmett bared his teeth and tensed to go after her, but Harry grabbed his hand and kissed it.

"Let her go, baby. Her mum saw what she did, and is already heading towards her to scold her within an inch of her life."

Emmett looked around and saw that Harry was right. "I haven't known her long, but I can tell that nothing I could do would measure up to her mum's wrath."

Harry laughed, resting his head against his shoulder. "Your powers of perception are impeccable."

Whatever he was going to say back was interrupted by the door slamming open rather loudly and a tall woman with long golden-red hair stalking in. she was obviously a Vampire, and not the vegetarian variety.

"Victoria…" Carlisle hissed, standing from where he'd been having a nice talk with Kingsley Shacklebolt.

She grinned. "Yeah, it's me."

0000

End chapter 58

Ha! Cliffhanger!


	59. Chapter 59

CHAPTER 59

"Who's that bitch?"

Harry's stage-whisper sounded very loud in the quiet room, and she evidently heard him because her eyes narrowed and she started stalking towards him before Kingsley Shacklebolt stood slowly and simultaneously with Bill Weasley.

She seemed confused, sniffing the air. "Why do you all smell so strange?"

No one answered her, everyone waiting for someone else to talk. Carlisle finally rose to the occasion, and advanced through the frozen humans to stand a few feet from her. "Victoria, let's go outside and settle whatever business we have with one another and leave these poor people to their celebrations. They have no business with our kind."

She snorted. "You're so selfish, thinking that everything is about you. True, until recently I was still very upset at your son, Edward, for killing my James, but I had my revenge on him and have put that behind me; you know what they say about letting dead men lie."

Bella gasped, covering her mouth a moment later and wincing when almost everyone looked over at her.

"Bella, so nice to see you again. How's the leg?"

"Don't talk to me, leech." Bella snapped, remembering that she didn't have any reason to be afraid. Jacob was in the men's room and probably on his way, Charlie Weasley was right next to her, and she had the knife her father forced her to carry around with her in her pocket. She slipped her hand into her pocket, closing her fingers around the cool handle.

She could take anything that Victoria threw at her.

Victoria just snorted and looked back at Carlisle. "The reason I'm here is, well, not only do you irritate me, I have a complex about never leaving things unfinished."

He raised an eyebrow. "And what unfinished business do we have that you can't discuss elsewhere?"

"The Volturi have disappeared. I went to visit Volterra recently and found it full of nothing but ash and rotting corpses, and the only lead I could find to the culprit was a lingering smell that matches the one I smell here."

Emmett looked down at Harry, who wasn't looking at anyone.

"I want to know which one of you here is responsible for this travesty."

Harry slowly raised his hand, grinning at her with all of his teeth. "That would be me, lady. I like Carlisle's idea- let's take this outside."

Without another word, he turned around and went out the nearest door, leaving her stranded until she raised her chin proudly and followed him out. Carlisle and Emmett looked at each other before the Cullens moved to follow them.

"That might not be such a good idea." Kingsley called after them.

Carlisle paused. "Why not?"

"Harry's been known to, you know, lose it. Sometimes he can't distinguish friend from foe."

"I can understand that, but we are Vampires and normal humans have severe difficulty harming us in altercations, which is our entire reason for following them. We don't want to let Victoria hurt him."

Kingsley just shook his head at them. "Harry isn't a normal human, but whatever. I warned you."

Puzzled, the Cullens departed. Emmett wondered if he should tell them what happened the day the Volturi attacked, what Harry was capable of if you pushed his buttons wrong, but decided not to. There are some things better seen with your own eyes.

Outside, standing on the grass in his tuxedo, Harry began to loose his temper a little bit. When they'd first faced off, he was gearing up to get her with a Blasting Charm once she pounced and be done with it, but all she did was start bitching and whining about her dead boyfriend, James, and the Volturi.

"And now I find out that the Volturi are somehow dead because of _you, _a puny human! You're not even very strong-looking." She snorted, looking him up and down. "So, before I kill you, how did you do it?"

He moved past irritated and into angry. He might be short, but that didn't make him puny! "How about I give you a live demonstration?" He purred, tilting his head and slipping his wand out of his sleeve.

The grass sizzled under the summer sun and his emotionally-charged magic, and a hint of unease began to show on Victoria's face.

"I-"

"Too late to turn back now, Victoria; I always keep my threats, and I must admit that I am very angry at you for stealing Edward's existence from me. He was mine to kill, you know."

"Funny- I was under the impression that you were friends with the Cullens." She stalled, holding up her hands and slowly creeping towards him. There was a chance that, if she kept him distracted, she could rush him.

He walked towards her instead of away, like she was afraid he would do.

"Oh, I'm more than friends. But Edward tried to sabotage that, and foolishly brought the Volturi into it. Since they were obstacles to not only my own safety and happiness but those of almost everyone I cared about, I removed them."

"H-How?" She was genuinely curious now. Harry's insinuations made the way he'd been standing next to the largest of the Cullens take on a whole new meaning.

"Like this." He waved a stick at her and said something in what might have been Latin.

She probably would have asked him what language it was if she wasn't currently unable to move a muscle, including her tongue. Panicking, she struggled internally to regain control of her body, but her attempts froze when he came to stand directly above her fallen body, with something that looked scarily like a stake in his fist.

"I'm sorry that our meeting had to end this way, Victoria."

He raised his fist, and it descended, sliding through her ribcage and piercing her heart. It went farther, holding her fast to the ground. Blackness, thick as the blood that had sustained her for so many centuries, slithered into her vision. She couldn't feel anything, see anything, or smell anything.

Her whole body was numb, and then she felt something snap as she departed from it at last.

Standing over her, he heard the door open again and Esme's gasp.

"Oh my god! Is she…is she…?"

"Dead? Yeah. Unfortunately for her, the wedding kind of stressed me out and I wasn't in the mood to show her any mercy or forgive her for the remarks she made." He frowned, remembering something. "Did something happen between her and Bella, by the way?"

"Other than Victoria being out for her blood? Nope." Jasper replied sarcastically, knocking back a glass of champagne for the heck of it. "Hey, I can still feel the bubbly sensation from this. Alice, you've got to try the champagne."

"I already did." Alice giggled, leaning against him.

He rolled his eyes. "God, I can tell."

Something suddenly dropped from the gargoyle-lined roof of the church, landing a little awkwardly in front of the Cullens.

Bysshe dusted himself off and looked around urgently. "Where is she? I can smell a female Vampire around here, the human-eating kind."

Harry groaned, coming over to poke him between the shoulder-blades. "Sorry, you just missed her. However, if you want to look at her ashes, they're over that-a-way." He gestured to where a long stake was pinned through the ground, surrounded by a small pile of ashes.

"I'll pass, thank you. Don't tell me I missed the wedding too-"

"You did."

"Fuck!"

Harry laughed. "Hey, there's still booze for you to drink and pretty girls without boyfriends to talk to. Come on, let's go inside, guys."

Carlisle looked regretful. "I'm sorry, but I have to go attend to something at the hospital and my wife will be accompanying me. Give my regards to the couple once again."

"I will." Harry smiled and hugged Esme.

"Hey, before you go, I was ordered to tell you that Helen and her coven, me included, are taking the Volturi's place. We're going to burn down what's left of their headquarters and set up base near Stone Hedge, so spread the word to anyone else that passes through."

"I beg your pardon?" Carlisle asked softly, frowning. He'd only met Helen Winner once, and although intimidating and a witch on top of her undead state, he wasn't sure what authority she had to take control. "How is she going to enforce this? The Volturi were the most ancient of our kind and we respected them because of that, but she does not have the same platform of power to work from-"

"On the contrary, when the Volturi were still human, Helen was already heading the Vampire-Goblin Alliance, which is the oldest of all magical creature alliances. Something useful to keep in mind is that creatures preceded humans, which makes her more than qualified in the age category."

"I…"

"Anyway, see you guys around!" Bysshe waved enthusiastically before heading inside to drain the refreshment table of alcohol and disobey the strict 'No Smoking on Church Premises' rule. He might not die from being inside a church, but the rules could be killer.

He was just topping off his second glass of champagne when an attractive redheaded girl came sidling over to him. He raised an eyebrow, digging into his pocket for his cigarettes.

"Hi there! I don't think we've met, and I know all of Ron's friends, so I'm guessing that you know Hermione?"

"Uh, I know both of them, but I know Harry more than either of them. You must be Ron's one sister?"

"Yeah. I'm Ginny."

"Bysshe." He ignored her hand, turning away under the pretense of lighting his cigarette and grinning. There was just something about making pretentious women angry that really made his day.

"So…" She began awkwardly, fiddling with a tassel on her shawl. "How do you know Harry?"

"I was hired to kill him."

She gaped, and then started laughing. When he didn't join her, her eyes widened. "Oh Merlin, you're not kidding."

"Why would I joke about something like that? But hey, no worries: I decided not to kill the little prick, even though I still regret that decision sometimes."

Her curiosity was obviously aroused, so he decided to humor her. "I suppose you want to know why I chose to let him live?"

She nodded, pulling out a pack of gum and popping one into her mouth. The borderline-obnoxious sound seemed, somehow, perfectly in tune with her image.

"He's the splitting image of my son, who passed away years and years ago."

"…Oh." Clearly, she'd been expecting something more exciting.

"Not that you aren't a thrilling conversationalist, but I feel the urge to go and interrupt those two before they start spilling bodily fluids in public, so adieu!" He gestured first at Harry and Emmett, who were firmly attached at the mouth, and then waved at her.

Ginny was left standing alone, chewing her gum and watching the couples jealously. Why didn't she have what they had? It just wasn't fair.

00000

End chapter 59

Sorry it's short, but I have a lot of stuff going on and the chapter seemed complete.

I hate it when people advertise, but I feel the need to alert any of you who read my Of Demons series way back in the day to the fact that I'm re-writing it. You might want to check that out if you read the original 


	60. Chapter 60

CHAPTER 60

"What are you doing?" Luna asked, leaning against the door frame and watching Neville pack some rope into his trunk, several borrowed bobby pins holding back his fringe from falling into his eyes as he worked.

He grunted as he wrapped up a disorderly bundle of dried floral stalks and gently placed them in a special compartment. "I'm packing."

She drifted into the room, carefully balancing her weight, and sat on Harry's bed, which was only neat today because he hadn't slept in it. "I see that, Nev. What I meant is, why?"

"I am packing because I'd rather like to have a clean set of clothes while tracking down a certain monster of society." His movements became a little jerkier, and when he placed the last of his books inside, he slammed the trunk closed and then spelled it as such in addition to the manual locks.

"You're really going to do it, then?" Luna murmured quietly, eyes distant and voice low.

His large hand cupped the back of her head, his fingers stroking her neck and he petted her hair with his other one. She heaved a shuddery breath, trying not to cry, but when he sat down beside her and wrapped his arms around her, she gave in to her spinning emotions and let herself sob into hi shoulder.

"Yes, I am. Are you really not okay with it?"

She shook her head. "I just don't want you to have to kill another person, especially not for my case."

"Actually, doing this helps my record."

"What? Neville, that doesn't make sense."

He shrugged. "Whether it makes sense or not, and let's face it, most of our laws don't make any sense at all, capturing a criminal and proving their crime is enough to get you in the good graces of the Ministry. Considering whom you are and who I am, it just might be what I need to take the edge off of my criminal record. If this works out the way I think it will, not only will you be able to rest easy knowing that this creep isn't going to 'imprint' and rape some other poor girl, but also I'll be able to help you out. Somehow I think that any child of yours is going to be a handful."

She laughed quietly, the gravely sound of a concealed sob beneath it. He rubbed her shoulder and rested his chin on the top of her head briefly.

"Come on, no crying. If you want, you can help me pack myself a lunch before I leave."

"Alright. Can you help me up, please?"

0000

Watching Neville whirl away in the Floo, grinning goodbye, Luna sat heavily on the closest sofa.

Feeling the pangs of hunger descend, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a bag of cut vegetables that Bella had cut up for her. Now that Ron and Hermione were enjoying their honeymoon in Venice, the house was a lot quieter.

Bella still came over to spend time with them, though, and had been a huge support to her, voluntarily making grocery runs when her cravings acted up and even massaging her when the need arose.

As they say, speak of the devil and he shall appear. The tell-tale rumbling of Bella's car pulling into 'her' spot reached Luna's ears, and she made a half-hearted effort to get up before giving it up.

"Hello! Anybody home?" Bella called cheerfully, closing the screen door behind her. Luna peeped over the couch and waved at her, noticing that she'd brought Jacob with her.

"Hey, guys!"

"Oh, hello Luna! Is anybody else home, or is it just you by yourself?" Bella asked, coming into the room and leading Jacob by grabbing his wrist. For once, Luna noted, he was not blushing as she did so.

"Bert is in his study, but Harry is off with Emmett taking a walk in what remains of the rhododendrons, so I'm not sure if that counts as home or not."

Bella shrugged, plopping down next to her with Jacob on her other side. "They aren't here in spirit."

Luna giggled and then stuffed a piece of celery in her mouth.

"Can I have one of those?" Jacob enthusiastically asked, already reaching for her vegetables before Bella smacked his hand away.

"Jake!" She scolded. "You should never take food away from a pregnant woman!"

Looking appropriately scolded, Jacob's hand retreated and he stretched his long legs out before crossing them at the ankle.

"So you two seem to be more relaxed around each other- did you finally realize that you don't like each other?" Luna asked casually, popping a slice of tomato into her mouth. Bella turned red and Jacob looked at the ceiling, both waiting for the other to answer that.

"I'm dating Charlie." Bella finally burst out.

"You're dating your father?" Luna asked quizzically, deciding that she would just have to accept whatever Bella decided to do, incest or otherwise. "I don't blame you, he is a very well-preserved and admirable man-"

Bella just looked too horrified to speak so Luna trailed off. "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"

Jacob leaned around Bella to look at her and saw that she was completely serious. He burst out laughing, sounding more like a barking dog than a man, and gripped his stomach.

Face redder than Luna had ever thought possible for someone whose last name wasn't 'Weasley', Bella choked out, "I am not dating my father, Luna! I'm seeing Charlie _Weasley. _We met at the wedding and things kind of grew from there. He's staying in La Push and has promised to write me when he has to leave._"_

"Oh. Well, isn't that nice?" Luna patted her knee and offered the remains of her vegetable bag to Jacob, who grinned and accepted them despite the evil look Bella was giving him. "What about you, Jacob? Anyone catch your eye?"

"I thought Ron's sister was pretty, but then I overheard her making some comments to Emmett and Harry and decided against it. I don't know about you guys, but a cattiness like that in a girl is a deal breaker for me."

Luna nodded sagely. "I completely understand. If I were a lesbian, I would feel the exact same way. Tearing down each other and other people is one of the worst and unfortunately most common female faults." She shrugged. "I guess it's better than getting into fist-fights when we have a power play, though."

"Hey! Was that a stab at men I just heard coming out of your mouth?" Jacob laughed, biting down on a carrot. "You're a little hypocrite, missy."

She just looked at him coyly from under her lashes. "What can I say? I foolishly allowed my heart to wander towards a man who is sometimes even more scatter-brained than I can hope to be on my worst days, and I'm sure that he feels the exact same way."

"Damn straight. You're a heart breaker, but I don't know who else on this pitiful earth would be willing to love me for all that I am." Bert piped up, suddenly coming out of his office. He was wearing a bathrobe and boxers with frogs on them. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"No; you just look more comfortable than usual, sweetheart. I see that you're wearing the underwear I bought for you." Luna reached over Bella to take another bit of tomato from Jacob just before he could eat it.

He looked down at himself, blinked, and smiled at her. "So I am."

Bella just rolled her eyes and invaded Jacob's personal space to steal vegetables from him as well, petting his nose when he opened his mouth to object.

Luna realized after they left that Jacob never outright told her if he was interested in someone, which was highly suspicious. She'd have to corner him in the woods some time, or make Harry do it, and find out what was going on. The information would have no use for her, of course, but she was in the mood to hear about romance, whether other people wanted to share theirs or not.

00000

Harry awoke with a start, looking around him to try and figure out what had woken him, to see what was different. Not finding anything nearby, he made to get out of bed, but discovered that a very muscular, not to mention bare, person was lying on top of him and snoring quietly like a kitten.

He sighed, leveling his sleeping fiancée with a look that went completely unnoticed and unappreciated. "Emmett?"

There was no answer, but Emmett did snuggle closer into him, rubbing his cool nose against Harry's collarbone.

"Emmett? Baby, wake up! I know its Sunday, but I need to get up to go to the W.C.!"

He gently scratched some of Emmett's short hair with his nails, massaging his scalp and gradually increasing the force until he snorted and jerked in his sleep. "Huh? What happened?"

Harry kissed his cheek and replied, "Firstly, I have to wee very badly, secondly, you're crushing me with your fat ass-"

"Oi!"

"And thirdly, you're naked."

Emmett grinned and raised an eyebrow. "Funnily enough, you didn't seem to mind being naked with me last night."

"Yes, but I do mind right now when I don't have leisure time to properly enjoy the things that happen when we're not wearing clothes."

"Prude."

"Fat-so."

Emmett growled. "I am not fat, damn it!"

Harry just grinned at him. "Oh, don't let me insult you, babes. Just keep lying on top of me like this and I'll pee on you in no time."

Emmett was off of him before he finished speaking, so Harry grabbed the nearest article of clothing, which turned out to be Emmett's button-down from their dinner date last night, and went off to the bathroom, pretending all the while that he didn't notice his fiancée checking out his bare legs.

It wasn't until he was washing the crust off of his face that he realized why today was different from any other normal Sunday.

"I'm seventeen!"

Emmett rapped on the door with his knuckles and then came in without waiting an answer, sloppily kissing Harry's neck before starting up the shower. "Yes, you are. Happy birthday, Harry."

Harry grinned at himself in the mirror. "Thanks!"

"I suppose this means that you'll be leaving here?" Emmett asked sulkily, grabbing a towel and setting it on the toilet seat within convenient reach.

Harry frowned. "No, me being seventeen just means that I don't have to go back to school next year or officially stay in hiding. I'm an adult, basically."

"Well, that takes a load off of my mind." Emmett raised his voice so he could speak over the roar of the shower. "I was kind of freaking out a little inside, but I was too nervous to ask you."

Harry put his toothbrush away and rinsed out his mouth. "Emmett, have I ever told you that you have the most irrational fears, short of Ron's spider terror?"

Emmett laughed. "I know, I know, but its incredible enough that we're even engaged. I…" He went quiet for a moment before softly saying, "I sometimes wake up in the morning and am afraid that this has all just been a wonderful dream, that you aren't real."

Pulling the shirt over and off his head, Harry stepped into the steaming shower and hugged him, kissing his spine. "You really are ridiculous sometimes. I'll always be in your life, and I am more than happy to slap you if you need to be reminded that this is real."

"I bet you are. By the way, I know that we have just started this whole 'planning the wedding' thing, but what time did you want to have it?"

Harry hummed in thought, accepting the shampoo that Emmett handed him. It was cramped with both of them in the shower stall, since Emmett was the anti-thesis of short, but neither minded bumping into each other very much.

"I don't know…I don't mind a long engagement, or a short one. Do you have any preferences?"

Emmett wiped a bit of soap suds out of the path of dripping into his eyes. "I think it might be kind of nice to have a long one, if its all the same to you. Esme really wants to design our wedding and everything, and the stuff she likes is kind of extravagant and she forces you to take a long time making up your mind."

"Oh, is she willing to plan it for us?"

"Yeah."

Harry grinned. "That's the best news I've heard about it so far! I'm not very good at planning parties." He went a bit pink when Emmett kissed him before continuing. "And it's such a relief to know that she's willing to do that for us. Do you think she'll be okay with us just choosing the color scheme and who comes, and then having her surprise us with everything else?"

Emmett paused, washing his arms. "Harry, you know that I could care less about all the girly details. I like the 'surprise' idea."

Harry smiled again, elbowing him out of the way so he could get to the shower head. "Good. I was worried that I would have to resort to, ahem, desperate measures to convince you."

Emmett's eyes widened before he smirked. "You know, I think I just might need some convincing after all."

00000

Neville came back from his tracking in Australia for the cake, bringing a gift wrapped in newspaper.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't find something more festive to wrap it in, but I was in a bit of a rush-"

Harry hugged him tightly, cutting off his excuses. "Neville, I'm just happy that you're here. You didn't even need to get me a present."

He smiled, ruffling Harry's hair to irritate him. "Yeah, well, I wanted to. This is a big birthday."

"I still can't believe that I'm finally my own man. I swear, the only thing keeping me here with him-" he jerked his head in Bert's direction, who was serving Luna her third piece of cake, "is because I might as well stay here until Emmett and I find a house, which we'll move into once we're officially married."

Neville nodded, snagging a plate of cake and starting to eat it with his fingers. Hermione glared at him, stabbing him in the arm with a fork before handing it to him. He rolled his eyes at her and kissed her cheek. "It's nice to see you too, 'Mione."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Anyways, back to you, I think that that's smart. There's no point in spending more money than you have to."

Harry bit his lip, looking over at the strange couple his ex-guardian and school friend made. "I know, but sometimes I wonder if I can hold up under the emotional trauma for much longer. Did you know that I walked in on those two sucking face just this afternoon? I mean, she's pregnant!"

Hermione stabbed him this time with her fork. He gave her a very betrayed look and rubbed his arm. "What was that for?"

"Being pregnant doesn't mean that she no longer has a sex drive, Harry."

He promptly choked on his cake, swallowing with difficulty. "I'm not a prude or anything, but please don't talk about those two and sex in the sentence ever again around me; and especially not on my birthday."

Hermione just laughed at him.

0000

Working the night shift in an apothecary can be a creepy experience, but he was being paid very well for his pains and he really needed his job, so Ralph was willing to put up with it.

One of the glass vials jangled against another one, creating a slightly jarring chime. His head snapped up, but there was no one with him so he relaxed, going back to crushing the mammoth tusks.

And then a large hand slapped over his mouth and another went around his chest to drag him into the shadows. The hand over his mouth was gloved, and he smelled the tell-tale sickly sweet smell of a sedative before everything went black.

He came to, tied to a chair, with his head pounding from the drug. Looking around frantically and mentally reviewing his past actions to try and find some sort of explanation for this, he saw that there was a wood table in front of him, a bed in the corner, and two doors. It was a hotel room, and there was someone sitting in the chair across from him at the table.

The person was very tall, even seated, and broad-shouldered to the point of being menacing.

He swallowed.

"Hi there." The smile that the stranger graced him with was completely bereft of humor or good feeling.

"Hi." He croaked back.

"Some time ago, you had a little accident at your work-place."

Ralph frowned. No one was supposed to know about that, except for that little blonde bitch-

"There was a young woman there, and you hurt her very badly. In fact, you raped her. The result of this is that she is now pregnant, carrying your child, and has chosen not to pursue revenge against you." He folded his hands on the table and cracked his knuckles slowly. "I, however, have no such merciful feelings towards you and have every intention of beating a confession out of you if I need to."

Ralph unwillingly whimpered, feeling his bladder jerk. He would have crossed his legs if they weren't tied apart to separate legs of the chair.

"Oh good- you understand that I'm not joking around here." Again, he smiled the humorless smile. "That makes this so much easier for both of us."

He reached down and placed a recording box on the table, flicking the switch on the side.

"Please recite your name."

"R-Ralph Woolf."

"Age?"

"34."

"Do you work at 'Merlin's Convenient Apothecary'?"

"Y-Yes… I have worked there for several years now."

"Have you ever met a woman named Luna Lovegood, petite, blond, and grey-eyed?"

Ralph looked down, feeling somehow more ashamed of himself than he had since he made peace with his crime. "Yes." He whispered.

"Speak up."

"Yes!"

"Thank you. And did you force yourself upon Miss Lovegood sexually?"

Ralph didn't answer.

"Mr. Woolf?"

He got up and circled the table, coming to stand directly behind him. Gripping the back of Ralph's head by the hair, he slammed it forward so that his face smashed against the hard wooden surface of the table. The table creaked, and he felt blood splatter across his face, accompanied by a sharp sensation of pain.

"Mr. Woolf, please answer the question honestly."

"Yes." He muttered.

The man reached around him to flick the recorder off.

"Thank you, Mr. Woolf." The glove covered his face again, and he didn't wake again that night.

The second time he woke, head heavy and feeling greasy from going without bathing, he found himself blinded by harsh magical lighting. His nose ached, sending a spider-web of pain through the tender nerves of his nose cartilage.

Looking around himself, he found himself in a small cell. What had awakened him was a Wizard in a warden's uniform entering with a pair of restraints in his hands.

He shrank back into a corner of his cot, terrified. Somehow, deep down inside, he always knew that he would someday get in trouble for what he did, but he had wanted to believe that he could get away with it.

"Please don't hurt me!"

The warden sneered, his name badge proclaiming his name to be Neil Chadwick. "Come along, bud. Give me any trouble, and I'll file a complaint on you that just might make your little trip to the penitentiary more unpleasant than it already will be."

"What do you mean? Where am I right now?"

"You were in the equivalent of a waiting room. Right now, we're taking you to your trial, although I don't see why you need one. We have all the proof we need, including DNA from the fetus of your unborn daughter."

Knowing that he had a daughter put his mind into a numb fog for the entirety of his trial, during which he avoided the judge's accusing eyes and the looks of disgust he was getting from everyone in the small crowd.

"You will spend the next hundred years in Azkaban." was his sentence.

Hanging his head, he didn't see the small blonde woman sitting beside the man who'd questioned him originally, holding her hand tightly and sitting on the witness bench along with his boss. He also missed the judge's next verdict of-

"And Neville Longbottom is now pardoned of the accidental death of his assistant Walter Tuttle for his services in capturing and proving Mr. Woolf's guilt."

0000

Sitting in the topmost floor of the Cullen's house, Harry watched Renata stick out her tongue as she balanced the last sugar cube on top of her replica of Tokyo, originally started by Rosalie.

"Yes! Go me!"

Rosalie shook her head in the background, passing Jasper a twenty dollar bill. "Well shit, you _do _steadier hands than me."

"What did I tell you?" Jasper pulled out his wallet and stuffed the bill into it. "You should know better than to bet against me, sis."

"Fuck off, Jasper. Just because you have a psychic wife doesn't mean that you can take credit for it."

He shook his head at her, grinning at harry and Emmett, who were gaping and the enormous and very detailed replica of Tokyo.

"I still can't believe that you guys made this just because you were bored!" Harry exclaimed, shaking his head at them. "You guys are _insane."_

"I second that." Emmett nodded vigorously, widening his eyes into a comically horrified expression.

00000

End chapter 60

End Dark Clouds

An epilogue, set 5 years later, will be posted soon, as ch.60.


	61. Chapter 61

A/N: Thank you to all of you who read, reviewed, alerted, and favorite-ed this story! You really helped me get all the way to the point I have reached now, and it was a pleasure writing this. There will not be a sequel, so please don't beg me to write one.

EPILOGUE

As always, the streets of London were crowded with employees and their employers, with people selling things and those who were foolish enough to buy them. A million heartbeats in time with each other, and just as many more out of it, were beating to their own rhythm.

All of this Bysshe observed from the tiny, and disturbingly flimsy, balcony of a two-story, and very expensive, house a mere two blocks from a certain telephone booth. He waited, tense as a bowstring and half-crouching atop the railing of the balcony, for the first sign of his target.

There!

A shadowy figure, noticeably without a heartbeat of its own, grabbed a small child passing by, pulling her into the alley they were hiding in. The crowds continued to surge, no one noticing that one of its members was now missing, soon to be dead.

In a single graceful leap, he launched himself from the balcony and blended effortlessly into the crowd, shoving aside a few trouble-making university students when they came between his path and the alley. He didn't bother to apologize or react to their yelled threats, too focused on the few seconds that had passed since the child was snatched.

Entering the alley, he sprinted down it until he came to the small space between two dumpsters, where he saw the child already completely subdued by the young Vampire.

"Oi!"

The Vampire froze and then turned slowly around, smirking at him. "What are you going to do to stop me, old man? You know that you won't stand a chance against my strength, so just leave me alone; I'm hungry."

He grinned, reaching forward and gripping the impertinent little prick by the neck with one hand while his other pressed down on his shoulder. There was a sickening _popping _sound as his skull, buried within tissue and skin, separated from his spine, and the body began convulsing for a few seconds until he yanked the head off completely.

Grimacing at it, he tossed it into the dumpster and heaved the body up after it.

"Sorry, young man, but age before beauty."

There was a whimper from the child, now released from the hypnotic glamour cast over it by her attacker. "Please don't hurt me!"

He blandly eyed her before waving his hand and whispering, "Sorry, honey, but I'm just not the pedophile type. _Obliviate."_

Her eyes went blank and he picked her up, carrying her to the mouth of the alley and setting her down on the stoop of a second-hand record store. "Just sit here and get your bearings back, missy. You've had quite the close call."

Dusting himself off and checking for any significant blood stains, he re-entered the crowd until he came back to the house where he'd been originally. Rapping on the door, he waited impatiently for it to open.

Bert cracked it open, looking at him balefully with red-rimmed eyes before opening it wider for him to pass through. He looked like a man half-dead, and his eyes fluttered open and shut several times, ruining the effect of the glare.

"Hello again." Bysshe laughed nervously, not liking the look he was getting.

"Is there a valid reason for you to come through the door, instead of climbing in a window or down the chimney? Both of those options would be infinitely less troublesome for me." Bert growled, slurping loudly from his large coffee mug. In the background, a girlish squeal was followed by giggling and Bert winced, spilling some of the burning liquid down his front.

"Goddammit!"

Bysshe decided to risk it and laughed, taking the mug from him so that the Unspeakable could dab at his shirt with the hem of his bathrobe. It was the same one he'd had five years ago when they'd met, and according to Bert, the robe had been his faithful companion for years before then as well.

It certainly explained the tattered state of the thing.

Bert took the coffee back after deciding that fixing his shirt without magic was useless. "You still haven't told me why the windows aren't good enough for you."

Bysshe shrugged. "I felt like irritating you. What can I say? Humor me; I'm old."

"I'm sure you don't feel as old as I do these days. I haven't gotten a wink of sleep, what with the new baby crying every couple fucking hours. She's got one of those ear infections and it makes it hard for the little one to get any rest. We've mostly gotten it in hand now, though."

"Bert? Darling, Hattie still needs her toast!" Luna called from upstairs, and then they could hear the sound of slipper-clad feet descending the stairs. "Oh, hello Bysshe. Did you catch him?"

There was a sash tied around her hips and shoulders in an intricate series of knots, and in one of the folds of it was their youngest daughter. Unfortunately for Bysshe's sense of decency, Luna hadn't bothered to wear much else.

"Yeah; he was about to make lunch out of a little girl about the same size as yours." He answered at last, tearing his eyes away from a breast that had somehow remained uncovered by the sash and her sheer wrap-around tunic. She was wearing it with a pair of safari shorts.

"How awful." Luna didn't sound like she meant it, sweeping past them with a jingle of twenty or so charm bracelets clanking against one another into the kitchen. "Mommy is getting your toast for you, honey." She crooned.

They exchanged looks.

"How are you holding up, being the sole man in this house of estrogen? How many daughters have you got now anyway, five?"

"Not quite- there's three of them now." Bert looked pained when he heard something crash inside the kitchen. "I'll be seeing you. Putter around the house if you like, and amuse the girls if you see them so they don't do something heinous to you out of revenge." Bert took another gulp of his coffee and paused in the doorway to the kitchen. "You know, growing up I thought it was the competitive environment women created amongst themselves that made them so evil sometimes, but now I know that its something ingrained into their nature."

Bysshe grinned. "I could have told you that. I had daughters once upon a time, too."

"I bet you did, you perverted bastard."

And with that, he went into the kitchen to attend to his oldest, Hattie, before she threw the jar of marmalade at him again. His wedding band sparkled in the morning sunshine, matching the one around Luna's finger as she steadied her youngest daughter's head so Hester could get full access to her bosom.

Three years ago she'd finished getting her specialized training in Mystery Magicks with a minor side study of dead languages, and secured a job as an Unspeakable. Due to her often well-hidden intelligence, when her entrance test results revealed a higher score than ever achieved before, the Unspeakable administering it and charged with checking her results suffered a non-fatal heart attack.

Today, she worked as partners with her husband out of her home and home-schooled her daughters until they would be old enough for Hogwarts.

She groped for the kettle of hot water, pouring some into her cup to refresh her tea bag; lifting it unsteadily to her mouth, she sipped before it had a chance to step.

"Look what I drew, mum!" Sheila, her middle daughter lisped, holding up a scrap of parchment for her to inspect. Luna eyed the stick figures depicting their strange little family of five and smiled.

"It's beautiful, Sheila. Now go get dressed! They'll be here soon!"

Sheila pouted. "But mum, why do I have to get dressed when you aren't?"

Luna blinked and she heard her husband cough. Looking up, she saw him tugging on one side of his robe. Glancing down, she saw that her youngest was done having breakfast, leaving her a tad exposed. She covered herself and patted Sheila on the head. "There, now go get dressed. I want you to look nice for Neville and Jacob."

The four-year-old pouted one last time before stomping off. Sighing, Luna tucked Hester back into her little hammock and made sure that she was secure before finishing off her much-stronger tea.

She opened her mouth, but Bert beat her to it.

"I'll do the dishes, love. Go see to the girls or whatever."

Smiling, she sauntered over to him and kissed him on both cheeks and mouth. "You taste like coffee. Don't forget to get dressed before they arrive."

"Why do I have to get dressed for them? We don't bother getting dressed for anyone else."

"Yes, but we haven't seen either of them since they went on their honeymoon and I want them to have a good impression of us and everybody else."

Bert nodded. "I suppose that that makes sense…in the world of women."

"Just wash the dishes, Bert." She exited the kitchen, heading upstairs to make sure that Hattie and Sheila were playing nicely.

00000

There was a relatively new shop in Hogsmeade that sold Muggle conveniences, the non-electric kind that would work in a magical environment. They had everything from band t-shirts to lip gloss to Muggle candies and new books, and they were doing very well amongst the students since they helped raise morale amongst the Muggle-borns who missed their parents and allowed Purebloods to experience some of the different aspects of Muggle culture.

The upper two floors of this shop, and of course the shop itself, were owned proudly by Emmett and Harry. Neither of them actually worked down in the store anymore; they'd only worked as clerks on top of everything else during the first two months of setting up until it got around that Harry Potter was working there and he started getting mobbed by people that didn't want to buy anything.

Stumbling out of their bedroom, Harry smoothed down his hair fruitlessly before tying it back with a rubber band and heading for the bathroom. Inside it he found Emmett brushing his teeth.

As usual, he'd left the cap off of the toothpaste.

"You never learn, do you?" Harry teased, squeezing some out onto his own toothbrush before replacing the cap and tucking the tube into their medicine cabinet. Emmett grinned at him through a mouth full of white foam before he spat into the sink and rinsed his mouth out.

"Why should I bother when I know that you'll always be around to screw it back on for me?" He leaned over and kissed Harry's cheek. "I know this specific bad habit of mine wasn't addressed especially in our wedding vows, but I think it can be classified as within the 'for worse' half of 'for better or worse', and that means that you can let it go."

Harry groaned around his toothbrush and started working on his grinders. "You're impossible." He muttered around it, rinsing his own mouth out.

"I know, but somehow I don't think you would have married me if I was less of a challenge."

He led the way back to their bedroom, where they got dressed, Emmett taking care to wear the sweater Luna bought him for his birthday; it was a shockingly tasteful garment, coming from her. The only things different about it was the little chicks embroidered along the cuffs.

"What do you say about breakfast? Should we eat it or go without today?" Harry asked, pinning a piece of hair that refused to co-operate back.

Emmett bit his lip. "Well, considering that this is our re-union, and how Hermione always brings tons of food to any of our gatherings, I think we can safely go without."

"Good! I really don't feel like cooking right now, so this is awfully convenient." Harry cheered quietly, laughing when Emmett flicked his nose.

"I should have known that you had an ulterior motive behind that question."

Harry shrugged. "Hey, we eat either way. This way just happens to spare me some bother."

Emmett thought this through and couldn't find fault with it. "Oh, fine. Come on, take my hand and let's go before we're late. You remember all the teasing we got last time that we were late, right?"

"Oh, about us supposedly pawing at each other?"

They shared a laugh before Harry composed himself and grabbed his husband's hand to apparatated them.

_Crack!_

00000

Luna was slouched into the couch working on a yearly report of the behavior of the Veil, with a clipboard to take away the need to work at a desk. Hester giggled on the floor with her two sisters under their father's watchful gaze, reaching out her little fist to grab at the closest doll's hair. Hattie helpfully tucked the toy into her little sister's hands.

"There you go!" She chirped, posing the one male doll with her favorite princess, the one whose hair her mother had helped spell blue for her.

Their chatter rose and fell before it was interrupted by a multitude of simultaneous 'cracks' as the various guests arrived. Harry and Emmett arrived holding hands, and Hermione and Ron nearly bowled them over by accidentally apparatating a scant two inches to their left.

"Oh, sorry!"

They laughed and helped each other up. "Are Neville and Jacob here yet?" Hermione asked, pulling a shrunken basket out of her pocket and enlarging it. It was huge, and from what they could smell, it was full of more food than should be crammed into people who've just breakfasted.

Harry nudged Emmett and grinned.

"You're on the front page again." Luna said, handing Harry the Daily Prophet. Harry sighed and read the headline, which loudly proclaimed entirely in capital letters:

_BOY WHO LIVED LIVING IN SIN WITH ANOTHER MAN!_

Emmett peered over his shoulder and started to laugh. "What? Does no one besides us know that we tied the knot years ago?"

Hermione, realizing what they must be talking about, rolled her eyes. "The Wizarding world doesn't recognize gay marriages as valid or even alternative sexualities as real. As far as they're concerned, you being gay means nothing- they're still doing polls in Witch Weekly about the most eligible young women who might catch your eye."

Harry groaned. "Did Neville and Jacob know about this?"

"Yeah, but, like you, they got married anyway." Hermione shrugged. "I mean, who cares whether the government recognizes it or not? They do a horrible job at everything else, so why would the system actually function in this area any more than it does with magical creature employment restrictions?"

There were nods of agreement around the room. Bert leaned forward and took a tart out of the basket, breaking it in half for his daughters and then helping himself to another while Luna pulled out a tin of brownies made by Mrs. Weasley and started passing them around.

About five minutes of catching up later, Jacob and Neville appeared.

"Well, somebody sure has the honeymoon glow." Ron commented, laughing when Neville blushed.

"It's so good to see you guys!" Luna leapt up and hugged them both tightly, followed by everyone else until the new couple started to feel slightly suffocated.

"Alright, alright! Ron, I know that you've hugged us both three times now just to be irritating, so why don't we all just sit back down?" Jacob snapped at last, grabbing one of the tarts out of the basket before sitting down in an armchair. Neville sat on the arm of it, one leg dangling slightly, and stole some of the candied apple slices off the top of Jacob's treat.

"Hey, get your own."

Neville looked down at him with wide eyes. "Whatever happened to 'what's mine is yours'?"

Jacob sighed and passed him the entire tart. Catching sight of the Daily Prophet, he snorted loudly. "Haha! Some things will never change. Hey, is there any mention of the little incident in Azkaban?"

"What incident?" Hermione asked, looking up from her thermos of tea. It had little clouds painted on it in enamel.

"The incident in Azkaban where a certain man with the last name of Woolf found himself torn limb from limb inexplicably, with no sign of an intruder in his cell or magical imprintation upon the surrounding stonework; the body has already been disposed of and the no further research is being done into the matter." Jacob smirked at them.

Luna silently passed him some tea and then folded her hands in her lap. "I heard about it at work, but it's been very well covered up. The Minister doesn't want people thinking that the Dementors are doing something out of the ordinary."

Neville laughed, the sound of it shockingly ominous-sounding. "Well, that's good. So where is Bella?"

"She had to finish up some lesson plans that some kids wanted for extra credit in Computer Science, and she was expecting a fire-call from Charlie, so she won't be here until maybe half an hour longer." Hermione supplied, pulling out a cigarette and lighting up.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "And have those two done anything in the way of getting engaged yet? They've been living with each other for four years now."

Ron shrugged. "Charlie isn't telling me anything during the 6 months that he lives with us at Hogwarts, although I did see a jewelry magazine in his trunk a couple of weeks ago before he left for Romania again."

Bert frowned. "Explain to me how your living arrangements work again, please?"

"Well, Hermione and Bella's quarters are next to each other because they jointly teach Muggle Studies, and I live with Hermione there when I'm not on Auror business. Half of the year Charlie lives with Bella, and the other half he spends in Romania with the dragons in person. Really, Bert, I have to explain this to you every time we see each other: at first I thought it was just distraction, but now I'm afraid that your age has finally caught up with you." Ron finished his explanation with a tease, laughing when Bert threw the empty brownie tin at his head.

Sheila and Hattie squealed, clapping their hands. "Throw it again, daddy! That was funny!"

Luna grumbled something and sent her husband a nasty look. "I thought we said that we weren't going to raise our daughters with a glorified view of violence."

He shrugged. "And I thought that little girls could be raised to not smack me around, but that plan failed as well."

Jacob laughed. "They must take after their mother." Neville squeezed his shoulder, kissing his cheek affectionately.

"Get a room!" Ron yelled, sounding like he'd been waiting on the edge of his seat for an opportunity to say that. Neville flipped him off, reaching over and accepting the thermos of tea from Hermione. He offered it to Jacob first before taking a sip.

"Oh, this is good. What kind of tea is this?"

"Black currant, I believe. I just got it from Bella and decided to try it out; I swear, that girl is the veritable queen of fruit teas."

There was a loud 'whooshing' sound as the Floo activated and Bella came flying out. She landed on the carpet heavily, covered in soot. "Ugh, I _hate _Wizard travel! Why couldn't I just take a cab?"

A concerted effort was made to stifle laughter, and Harry gallantly helped her up. "Are you okay, Bella? It looked like you had kind of a rough landing there."

She laughed weakly, dusting herself off and following him to the two-person couch he was sharing with Emmett. His husband moved to the side, and there was just enough room for him and the two smaller people.

"So, how are you guys? Oh, is that your youngest?" She suddenly cooed, catching sight of Hester. Hester returned her adoring look, reaching up for her to be picked up. Bella obliged, clutching her to her lap and bouncing her slightly. "She's just so adorable, and she has your eyes!"

Hermione grinned, squeezing Ron's knee.

"It's too bad that I can't have kids…" Harry sighed dramatically, leaning all of his weight against Emmett's shoulder.

There was a shocked silence before Jacob started laughing, which broke the ice for everyone else.

"You can take mine any day you want." Bert offered, getting up and seizing Sheila by the middle and depositing her in Harry's lap. She looked up at him with wide smiling eyes and then poked his nose.

"You have a skinny nose." She told him honestly and he grimaced poking hers back.

"Yeah, well, you have a teeny tiny one."

Emmett leaned over and made a show of squinting at her. "It's so small that I can't even see it!"

Harry laughed with her, kissing Emmett.

"Which one of you is the princess?" Sheila asked innocently.

They just looked at each other, neither wanting to answer that.

0000

"Bye! I'll see you next week at dinner, alright?" Harry called after himself as he stepped out of the Gould's house. Luna waved back.

"Okay!"

They were the last to go, and Harry stumbled a little, tipsy from the Australian wine Bella revealed once the kids got sent to bed at eight.

"Emmett?" Harry asked when they were on the last train, deciding to take it as far as it would go on a whim.

"Yes, love?"

"What would you do if we could have kids?"

Emmett shrugged. "I don't doubt that you'd be a wonderful parent, but I don't think either of us are ready for that just yet."

Harry nodded sleepily, nuzzling into his husband's side and letting him wrap his arm around him. "That's good. I was going to say the same thing."

Neither of them noticed Ginny Weasley sitting on the bench across from them with crossed arms and a glare on her face. It'd been five years and she couldn't seem to hold down a steady boyfriend, and while this was happening to her, Harry was talking with his faggy husband about having _kids?_

There was simply no justice in the world. She grumbled to herself, crossing her legs from the evening cold and eyeing them sourly. Even now, she wasn't brave enough to draw attention to herself.

She would spend the rest of her life alone and feeling sorry for herself.

000000

End Dark Clouds


End file.
